Poachers Kill 100,000 Elephants in Three Years

[joeybee12]

Poachers killed an estimated 100,000 elephants across Africa between 2010 and 2012, a huge spike in the continent's death rate of the world's largest mammals because of an increased demand for ivory in China and other Asian nations, a study published Monday found. The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is the first to scientifically quantify the number of deaths across the continent byt measuring deaths in one closely monitored park in Kenya and using other published data to extrapolate fatality tolls across the continent.

The study found that the proportion of illegally killed elephants has climbed from 25 percent a decade ago to roughly 65 percent of all elephant deaths today, which unchecked would lead to extinction. China's rising middle class and the demand for ivory in that country of 1.3 billion people is driving the black market price of ivory up, leading to more impoverished people in Africa "willing to take the criminal risk on and kill elephants. The causation in my mind is clear," said the study's lead author, George Wittemyer of Colorado State University.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/poachers-kill-100-000-elephants-three-years-new-measure-n183481

[flamingdem]

1. How can the supply end of things get squeezed?

That needs to be shut down.

[joeybee12]

3. I know...I posted an artile last week about Yoa Ming

working to end that...someone as hig profile as he is will hopefully make a dent in this.

[flamingdem]

10. I'll check that out

thanks

[joeybee12]

11. artile is short for article!

[Peregrine Took]

2. Crime against nature itself.

I imagine there won't be any left in 10 years or less. I love them so much but I fully expect them to be gone soon.

[exboyfil]

9. 35 million years

that pachyderms are recognizable as such and we wipe them out in a little more than a 100 years (unless the Asiatic branch survives).

You got to think we as a species will answer for this someday.

[polly7]

4. That is horrific.

Wtf is wrong with those people in China and other nations wanting this?! What's it going to take to get them to realize how completely cruel and destructive their selfish 'need' for ivory is? I love elephants so much ... this just makes me ill.

[agbdf]

5. Thank you for sharing this - one of the most under reported tragedies of our time.

[Liberal_from_va34]

6. Those hunters are lowlife scum. End of.

At the rate these poor animals are being killed off, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they go extinct within the next 50-100 years. Isn't human greed and selfishness wonderful?

[closeupready]

7. For those located in wildlife reservations, adulterating their food

with some kind of substance that discolors their ivory...? Is that an option?

On edit, here is a blog post addressing this question:

http://staintuskstostopelephantpoaching.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/a-conservation-biologists-take-on-dyeing-elephant-tusks/

[Avalux]

8. Well that's just great. I am disgusted with my fellow human beings right now.

We are able to kill each other so easily, and animals are even further down the ladder. No respect for life. None.

[Boreal]

12. 3 things

Educate the consumers
Shoot poachers
Invent some good fake ivory