Interpol, Kenya Wildlife Service Bust 57 Illegal Traders With One Ton Of Ivory

More than one tonne of ivory products has been seized in Africa's largest-ever international crackdown on wildlife crime.

The operation, co-ordinated by Interpol and the Kenya Wildlife Service, led to the arrest of 57 illegal traders across five African nations.

The haul also included animal skins and hippopotamus teeth.

Interpol said that similar trans-national operations will be carried out worldwide to combat wildlife crime.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[RightWingMarine]

in order to save elephants the prohibtion on hunting them should be lifted.

Currently the elephants are not owned by anyone other than the government whose land they are currently on. This leads to a tragedy of the commons problem in that since the cost to any individual hunter is zero it would be foolish to not harvest the ivory before someone else does. If the respective governments instead of creating sanctuaries sold the elephants those who purchased them would want to have a consistent return and would harvest some but keep others for breeding.

Look at what happened when early settlers here tried to have a common area for grazing the animals of everyone who lived in that town. That area was instantly over grazed. Today that doesn't happen because those farmers that choose to have the animals be free range have to ensure there will be food enough for the animals in the days ahead.

[MissElaineous]

There is a market for it. That's the problem. The poachers are a bunch of knuckleheads looking for a quick buck. There are mobsters and racketeers who think that this stuff makes them high class. Just look at some of the Russian photos of trophy wives and mistresses. Draped in fur. Expensive and rare is not high class. Its just expensive and rare. Its those guys that should be punished.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

Too bad they couldn't track the people who are buying these things. If there was no one to sell the stuff to it would go a long way toward stoping this senseless poaching.

[haramagoti]

Weep for these poor animals. Those who survived, who they did not kill out will remember the day their families got slaughtered senselessly.

[AZWolfster]

It's good to understand the suffering one causes. The best way to handle them would be to extract all their teeth with a pair of pliers and no anesthesia. Then shoot them, and while they are dying, skin them. It's draconian, I know, but it seems to be the only way these greedy poachers will learn.

[sweetwilly]

shoot them. that's all.