Political Quotes

“it was not very long ago that it seemed as if the ivory trade was on the decline and that the survival of African elephants in the wild was assured. In recent years, we have seen that confidence shattered, as thousands of these magnificent animals have been systematically killed for their tusks. Similarly, the rhinoceros, already endangered, is now in great jeopardy due to the voracious appetite in China and elsewhere in Asia for concoctions manufactured from their horn which can fetch thousands of dollars per ounce. Large-scale poaching of these and other wildlife species has become endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that up to 17,000 African elephants have been killed for their tusks since 2011, and just last month poachers used cyanide to poison 300 elephants in Zimbabwe. It was only a couple of years ago that we saw the extinction of the western black rhinoceros, another victim of rampant poaching. This devastating slaughter should serve as a deafening wake-up call to the world. It has implications that extend far beyond wildlife conservation. The international ban on ivory sales enacted in 1989 had a positive, albeit temporary impact on the protection of elephant and rhinoceros populations, but it has since spawned a black market industry in wildlife and wildlife parts. As I mentioned, some of the market is in carved ivory products and potions prized in Asia for their supposed medicinal or other properties.…”