https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240109/record-25-tonnes-of-confiscated-elephant-tusks-destroyed-in-nigeria-1064540197.html
Record 2.5 Tonnes of Confiscated Elephant Tusks Destroyed in Nigeria
Record 2.5 Tonnes of Confiscated Elephant Tusks Destroyed in Nigeria
Sputnik Africa
Despite the 1989 ban on ivory trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a significant number of elephants... 09.01.2024, Sputnik Africa
2024-01-09T17:56+0100
2024-01-09T17:56+0100
2024-01-10T08:44+0100
sub-saharan africa
nigeria
poaching
west africa
elephants
environment
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Nigeria has disposed of 2.5 tonnes of confiscated elephant tusks in an effort to safeguard its declining elephant population from the activities of the wildlife traffickers, Nigeria's National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said on Tuesday.The seized tusks are reportedly valued at over 9.9 billion naira ($11.2 million). The country's Minister of State for the Environment, Iziaq Salako, stated that the tusks were pulverized, and the powder used to build a national park monument, the media reported. The monument will serve as a lasting reminder of the important role elephants play in the ecosystem.Over the past 30 years, poaching for ivory, habitat degradation, and human-elephant conflict have significantly reduced the elephant population in Nigeria from an estimated 1,500 to less than 400.Nigeria has become a major exit point for the illegal wildlife trade from Africa to Asian markets. Nevertheless, the country has "incredible potential" to protect its remaining animal species, the Wild Africa Fund reported.Thus, the West African country has intensified its efforts to combat smuggling in recent years, working with foreign authorities as well as international organizations, resulting in its largest confiscation of illegal wildlife products in August 2021, the media reported.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20231208/dozens-of-elephants-in-zimbabwe-reportedly-died-due-to-climate-change-1064023861.html
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nigeria, poaching, west africa, elephants, environment
nigeria, poaching, west africa, elephants, environment
Record 2.5 Tonnes of Confiscated Elephant Tusks Destroyed in Nigeria
17:56 09.01.2024 (Updated: 08:44 10.01.2024) Christina Glazkova
Writer / Editor
Despite the 1989 ban on ivory trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a significant number of elephants are still killed each year for their tusks, with Nigeria being an "epicenter of ivory trade," according to the environmental organization Wild Africa Fund.
Nigeria has disposed of 2.5 tonnes of confiscated
elephant tusks in an effort to safeguard its declining elephant population from the activities of the
wildlife traffickers, Nigeria's National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said on Tuesday.
"In a groundbreaking move to combat the illegal ivory trade and protect its dwindling elephant population, Nigeria has successfully organised its first-ever ivory crush, destroying significant stockpiles of confiscated elephant tusks and worked," NESREA said on X.
The seized tusks are reportedly valued at over 9.9 billion naira ($11.2 million).
The country's Minister of State for the Environment, Iziaq Salako, stated that the tusks were pulverized, and the powder used to build a national park monument, the media reported. The monument will serve as a lasting reminder of the important role
elephants play in the
ecosystem.
Over the past 30 years, poaching for ivory, habitat degradation, and human-elephant conflict have significantly
reduced the elephant population in Nigeria from an estimated 1,500 to less than 400.
Nigeria has become a major exit point for the illegal wildlife trade from Africa to Asian markets. Nevertheless, the country has "incredible potential" to protect its remaining animal species, the Wild Africa Fund reported.
Thus, the West African country has intensified its efforts to combat smuggling in recent years, working with foreign authorities as well as international organizations, resulting in its largest confiscation of illegal wildlife products in August 2021, the media reported.
