| Illegal Ivory Trade - Asian Elephants Threatened | 16 March 09 |
 Demand for ivory is driving illegal trading and threatening survival of Asia's remaining elephants. A recent report from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, assessed the ivory trade in Viet Nam and found tusks selling for up to USD $1,500 per kilogram.Asian elephants are endangered due to habitat loss and poaching; between 30,000 and 50,000 remain in 13 Asian countries. "This insidious illegal trade is further threatening the highly endangered elephants of Asia and must be stopped," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme for WWF-International. The report recommends that Viet Nam comply with its obligations under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), prosecute offenders and destroy all ivory for sale in retail outlets. View February 16, 2009 IUCN press releaseView March 9, 2009 TRAFFIC article View WWF report, An Assessment of the Illegal Ivory Trade in Viet Nam (PDF) View February 16, 2009 WWF article View February 16, 2009 Reuters article View WWF Asian Elephants webpage Sources: ICUN, TRAFFIC, WWF, Reuters |
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