AFRICA’S ELEPHANT population is plummeting, and the world’s appetite for their tusks is almost certainly why. Governments in Africa and elsewhere have not done enough to shut down the demand for and supply of ivory. Their conclusion: The savanna elephant population is declining by 8 percent a year and dropped by 144,000 in only seven years, between 2007 and 2014. Countries, particularly those with major ivory demand, should shut down all ivory markets where they still exist. African nations, meanwhile, must police their protected areas more aggressively — otherwise, they may soon find they have traded in their natural heritage for a quick, illegal buck.

Source: Washington Post September 05, 2016 22:41 UTC