International criminal elements have taken over the booming ivory trade between Africa and Southeast Asia
The number of African elephants being killed to remove their tusks is climbing and rising. The ever-increasing surge of poachers puts the elephant population at risk, a risk that existed in the 70s and 80s of the last century, a period that is referred to as the "ivory disaster", a period in which the population of African elephants plunged from 1,3 million individuals to 500,000, that is, a period in which Almost a million elephants were slaughtered.
A team of researchers claims that every year approximately 40,000 elephants are killed to satisfy the growing demand for ivory in East Asia, a situation created (among other things) by the one-time permit given to the southern African countries to sell ivory, but more so because of a growing demand for ivory and its products that coincides with lax supervision in the countries where the governmental situation is precarious. If the number is correct, then within about 15 years the elephants south of the Sahara will be extinct.
20 years after the ivory trade was outlawed there is growing concern over the escalation of elephant slaughter. According to Tom Milliken from "the organization for monitoring and supervising the wildlife trade" TRAFFIC, "since 2004 there has been a rapid increase in the wild trade in ivory", in the last five years the price of ivory has risen to alarming proportions, traders in Asia pay about a thousand dollars for 1 k c ivory The rising standard of living in China allows more and more people to pay the high price for products derived from slaughtered elephants.
The combination of high prices and the fact that the protection of wild animals does not occupy an important place with the enforcement authorities, resulted in the entry of international criminal organizations into the "industry". According to Prof. Sam Wasser from the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington, Seattle, a situation has arisen in which organized crime is involved in the illegal trade in ivory and wildlife, a trade estimated at tens of billions of dollars every year.
The slaughter of elephants is rampant mainly in Central Africa, in countries such as Congo, where there is civil war, governmental corruption, extreme poverty and poor morals, a situation that puts the elephant population in a particularly vulnerable and sensitive position, but the trend of killing elephants is also increasing in East African countries.
Patrick Omondi, who heads the species conservation department at the Kenya Wildlife Service, says that the number of elephants killed in Kenya for their tusks doubled between 2007 and 2008 and doubled again in the last year
Another proof of the increase in trade are the "seizures" of quantities of ivory: in March (2009), in Vietnam, the authorities "seized" a container containing 6.3 tons of ivory, after six weeks an additional cargo - 3.5 tons was seized in the Philippines, and again one ton of ivory was seized in Bangkok. When you add the numbers you get the horrific number of 500 dead elephants.
500 elephants killed in Africa to supply….?
It is known that the three cargoes left Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), but it was not known where the elephants were killed. Lack of information that gives criminals an advantage and the possibility to continue their despicable mission, in an attempt to fight crime, Prof. Vosser is trying to develop identification methods based on DNA markers, forensic identification methods from the world of crime fighting, markers that will allow the identification of the geographic origin of the tusks that are seized. This identification will enable increased enforcement and supervision in the affected areas.
In order to develop a population map, hundreds of samples of elephant dung were collected in the last decade and sent to the laboratory, from each sample the DNA map is produced. To date, 16 genes with variation in different populations have been identified. This variation will allow
Geographic mapping of elephant populations south of the Sahara. Since the tusks of elephants are (large) teeth, it is possible to extract DNA from them and thus identify which population and which geographical area the tusk came from.
According to Prof. Vosser, through this identification, the manner in which the merchants operate became clear. Contrary to the assumption that the traders collect the tusks randomly, it turns out that the traders receive an order in which there is a small amount of time and space, to fulfill the order the elephant population is repeatedly attacked. For example, analysis of samples from two cargoes seized in 2006 with a total weight of 8 tons showed that most of the tusks came from the Salo Reserve (Southern Tanzania). In other words, in a short time, more than 400 elephants were killed in the Salo reserve.
Another 3.5 ton shipment seized in 2006 in Hong Kong was identified as originating from Cameroon, and again this is a number that describes about 250 butchered elephants. The shipment from Cameroon led to the discovery of empty containers containing fragments of elephant ivory from Gabon, that is, neighboring Gabon and Cameroon are a source of ivory, or in other words a place where elephants are killed.
Since, as written, international criminal organizations are involved in the trade, Interpol was asked to lend help, Peter Junger of Interpol says that: "Due to the volume of involvement of criminal elements, there is a reluctance to act aggressively", in order to stop the trade, there is a need for close cooperation between African countries and Asian countries, according to Junger Interpol lags behind the criminals since the criminals are "much better organized than the law enforcement agencies". According to him, cooperation between local law authorities and Interpol can bring results, but this cooperation is lacking and therefore the slaughter continues.
In addition to slaughter by humans, elephants, as well as hippos and other animals, suffer from a continuous drought that dries up watercourses and pastures, a drought that severely damages wild animals, as well as sheep and cattle, the deadly combination of slaughter by humans and drought puts the survival of the species in jeopardy.
What can the individual do? Let's start by not buying, not trading, not using anything that has anything to do with ivory.
Because the time has come that instead of controlling the environment for the sake of the human population, there will be control of the human population for the sake of the environment!
21 תגובות
Dear McTargi
In this discussion, I am not dealing with the moral aspect but only with the ecological-evolutionary one. Well, there were many species of animals, (including even large animals like the elephant) that became extinct from the earth. Has the ecology collapsed?
It seems that the explosion of the human population on the face of the earth and the livelihood problems of the poor populations endangers, above all and above all, the human society itself and holds the potential for future, great and terrible wars, even more than those that humanity has experienced in the past.
Here I see the real and difficult problem facing human culture. And as for the elephants... I'm not optimistic unfortunately.
No. Ben Ner,
I don't know if the scientific community is united around the issue of elephants' contribution to ecosystem services (that is, the services that the ecosystem provides to humans, for example the production of oxygen from carbon dioxide, climate regulation, and so on). What is known is that a functioning ecosystem is indeed necessary for the existence of the human species.
Even if we do not know exactly how each species benefits humanity, it is well known that the ecosystem needs such and such species to remain as it is. It is not always easy to predict how the system will change if a species is removed from it.
The main point is that it is certainly possible that the economic damage as a result of the loss of the elephants (meaning their ecological loss, even if the species itself is preserved in zoos, etc.) may exceed many times the benefit that the hunters derive from killing them and trading their tusks. An immediate aspect of the matter could be the loss of tourists who would be less willing to visit a safari without elephants. A slightly longer term aspect could be damage to the nitrogen cycle in nature - as you mentioned, elephants thin forests, but when people do this they burn the forest for the benefit of the fertile lands or trade in wood. Either way, the nitrogen is lost from the system, and it is an essential fertilizer, without which the growth and regeneration of the plant will be impaired.
And this without including moral aspects in the issue.
Mr. Tam, well done 🙂
You sound "financially sober", especially in response 3.
The economic issue and poverty bothered me for a long time, until I read "The solution to the problem of existence" written by Israel Dorion.
He explains there (mainly) the economic doctrine of Popper-Linkeus, which regulates the minimum needs of a citizen and completely separates them from luxuries.
I recommend 🙂
And just like that, if anyone wants to talk about it, I am at: n_israeli18@yahoo.com
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Regarding the elephants - there is no end to cruelty - exact sciences give a lot, but for morality you need philosophers.
And the questioner asked, "Why do we need morality? Why does it help?"
And I will answer "so that you don't go robbing and raping just because you feel like it"
For number 14:
With such cynicism the human race would not exist today..., the same can be said about any country you want, "If there are Americans why do we need Russians", if there is a "Draft" why do we need "Mitsubishi", "If there is a "Moon" why do we need "Mars" "..
What you said is nonsense.
Everyone is needed, one day we will know why, in the meantime we should not rule out any possibility..
To Gopal
It is possible that your body is a god-body
But it seems that your head is an idle head
My strength is weak to save you
When I realized that your head is nothing but... an eggplant
Therefore all we have left is to cherish you
He, to invite your head as a savih...in a pita
With appetite.
Lasaf Rosenthal
The situation described in the article is indeed shocking, however, it seems that the livelihood problems of
The human race, and in particular in the poor parts of the world, outweigh the environmental considerations.
Now a somewhat heretical question that may upset.
What is the environmental importance, if any, of elephants in Africa?
It seems that their traditional ecological function was the thinning of the forests.
Today man does this in their place, and even more strongly and excessively, for the benefit of the wood industry.
Will the disappearance of the African elephants really cause significant environmental damage to DHA?
And sorry in advance for the intellectual cruelty of my question.
It's very interesting what you say here Gal, I never thought about it like that, there is something light in your words..
Mass extinction is inevitable
Human population growth is the primary cause of species extinction
As can be seen only in rich countries like Japan, there is a decrease in the amount of oleosin
The poorer the countries, the higher the rate of overpopulation
The world is heading towards poverty
Because the number of deaths from starvation will eventually exceed the rate of natural reproduction
Together with this, almost all the animals in the sea and on land will become extinct
The best thing that can be done is to preserve DNA
So that in the future they could be brought back to life.
The only solution is the unification of humanity around a unified governing framework and a unified ideology. At the moment there is no cooperation in the war against international crime and illegal trade, because each country only cares about itself (and in Africa, usually every tribe or junta in that country only cares about itself).
To Raul: If all the animals are domesticated, what will happen (and it must happen at some point) when man decides to go ahead and abandon those animals, it is already known today that dairy cows cannot survive alone without the help of man, as soon as man leaves them they simply die..., When its life is domesticated it depends on the person, and I wouldn't trust it.. You have to let nature drive alone, it knows better where to go when needed 🙂
What is needed is more nature reserves and areas that man will not touch, and let nature flourish in its natural choice..
When the hunters are people for whom 10 dollars is a daily salary, and 1000 dollars is like winning the lottery, of course they will take a risk and hunt and they don't mind being caught and punished when they know that their family will prosper 10 times better thanks to them.. They are even willing to take a risk and die hunting, and rightfully so Takes care of his family.
Those people need to be helped to prosper in a different way... so that hunting will not be a profitable attraction for them, maybe it will make them stop, because hunting today is really not a sport, it's just their way of taking care of their family that they will live better... How do you say "if you can't beat them Join them", you should go to those hunters and ask them to switch sides in the war, and give them a more profitable option than poaching... (as I said ivory is not edible and is not meant to be slept on, the whole point here is money...)
Raoul, the African elephants, with the exception of a species that is probably extinct and was used by Hannibal, are incapable of being tamed or domesticated (the difference is that taming can be done on elephants from the wild, even if they are not domesticated - that is, they are made to breed under the auspices of humans). The Asian elephants have a more comfortable nature, so they are probably in a slightly better condition, but because they occupy human space in a dense area, they are probably not allowed to breed too much.
Gopal you killed me with laughter
what nonsense
There is no redemption and no God
There is a person who does not stop wreaking havoc
I don't understand you humans don't mind killing humans
Why should they care about animals:
First we will end the wars in our country
By the way, I don't understand why an elephant and the other animals are not in a state of domestication like a horse
so that they can never become extinct
http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A1_%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA
See conservation status: domesticated
Mr. Gopal. Here it is a scientific site, there is no meaning for spiritual nonsense - whether they belong to old religions or to the New Age.
We are willing to give believers of any religions or sects the benefit of the doubt, but since we are starting to get into religious propaganda, I will have to ask to stop this practice.
with gratitude
Avi Blizovsky, editor of the knowledge website.
As long as the industry of murder and exploitation continues for the pleasure of the senses of the creatures who pretend to be "human beings", they will also continue to experience increasing suffering, exploitation, cruelty...
And the wars will continue and there will be no real peace here!!
Birth, illness, old age and death apply to everyone in the material world without exception.
And the solution to this is the real problem of not teaching true and eternal spiritual knowledge - bhakti yoga and the science of yoga and self-realization - the Bhagavad-Gita and
Shrimed Bhagavatam and the Vedas and more and more..
which constitute the ancient knowledge of spiritual science - which indeed originates in India, but it is intended for all of humanity!
And the books of A.C. Bhaktiyodhanta Swami Prabhupada!! (Srilla Prabhupada)
Everything else without spiritual knowledge is mainly 'maya' - an illusion.. (the deceptive and deceptive energy of the material world..)
"The path to redemption and liberation in our time:
"The same perfection that was achieved in the Satya age through mystic yoga, in the Treta age through various sacrificial rites, and in the Dvapara age by worshiping God in the temple, can be achieved in Kali-yuga simply by constantly repeating the names of God." (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.52) According to the Vedas, the world moves through four cyclical periods, the last of which is the Kali period, the period of increasing selfishness and weakening of spirituality in man.
In the Vedas it is said: "In this period of Kali, characterized by quarrels and hypocrisy, the only way to salvation is to return and call God by His names. There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way." (Chaitanya Charitamratha Odi 17.21)
"My dear king, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is one good virtue in it: simply by chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, one can be freed from material bondage and ascend to the kingdom of God." (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.51)
There is no need to be naive, there is no control and no control, there was not and never will be.
It's all a matter of statistics.
http://www.worldometers.info/iw
What I mean by: *What was bad once upon a time when there was man, beast and the open field?, what did we lack "laptops" "cars and airplanes" or actually an addiction to better at any cost?!*
Actually, we don't lack anything, all the "economic crisis" and the problems that overwhelm us is technological addiction..
We have food, and there is a place to sleep and that is what is important, the only economic crisis that exists for me is in the wallets of some people who want another expensive car or something like that.. If those people give up a little of their comfort for the benefit of the whole world, the world would be a more beautiful place, and kill my husband We live only to show off our preciousness, which is completely unnecessary, ivory is not edible and is not meant to be slept on...
I don't really know what to say, I heard such stories in my childhood, I thought there were no such things today, very sad to hear...
Wherever the human race behaves like a "malignant disease" for the earth..., I always see in my imagination the human race as a bacteria and the earth is the person we are inside, and as it seems we are not a healthy bacteria..
As someone who smokes and feels what cigarettes make me feel (addicted), I see every car like a cigarette and every chimney like a cigar..., and despite all the suffering of smoking, the addiction is greater than the desire to quit..., this is exactly how the human race behaves, no one is innocent, we all know where The situation is improving but the technological addiction does not let us stop.
Agree with every word. Trade in ivory and furs as well as other ivory products for decoration purposes is despicable and ugly. It is forbidden to trade in anything taken from animals other than for eating purposes. Some would say that even for eating it is forbidden or despicable, but that is another discussion.
If it really is a market worth tens of billions of dollars, then I recommend to the future generation of biotechnological strategists to engineer a bacterium that knows how to produce and secrete ivory and thus create large populations of bacteria that will invest this valuable substance.
Skins and furs that are taken from animals only for this purpose are equally terrible products, and care must be taken to take skins only from a source such as cattle that was taken for slaughter and eating, and God forbid, to kill them just so we can have shoes or a belt. If this is impossible - then we will use leather imitations (Although in my opinion neither skin nor my likeness are beautiful, so I wouldn't trade them anyway)