Poaching: About 30,000 elephants illegally killed annually

A report by UNEP said demand for ivory is the main driver of the poaching of both African and Asian elephants, saying, an estimate of 20,000 to 30,000 elephants have been illegally killed annually since 2010. The report is  in commemoration of World Elephant Day on 12 August,  which is a chance to reassess conservation […]

A report by UNEP said demand for ivory is the main driver of the poaching of both African and Asian elephants, saying, an estimate of 20,000 to 30,000 elephants have been illegally killed annually since 2010.

The report is  in commemoration of World Elephant Day on 12 August,  which is a chance to reassess conservation thinking on how to best protect the iconic mammal.

“The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people all over the world, but poaching, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflict, exacerbated by climate change, have drastically reduced populations in Africa and Asia in recent decades,” the report said.

According to UNEP, elephant populations are increasing in some areas, especially in southern Africa.

“And while poaching is still a major threat, the good news is that poaching levels seem to be declining due to increased enforcement measures and greater consumer awareness of the ivory trade’s impact on elephant populations,” the report said.

However, the 2016 African elephant status report shows that in the two decades before an international ban on elephant ivory was enacted in 1989, the elephant population was cut in half by rampant poaching.  At the end of 2015, there were an estimated 415,000 to 550,000 elephants, compared to 508,000 to 655,000 at the end of 2006.

However, the loss of habitat due to deforestation, increase in mining, and agricultural expansion, according to the report has become problematic, for both African and Asian elephants.