WWF Insider: Must You Wear That Ivory Bangle?

A minute a day to save wildlife

The next 1 minute will tell you if the world is doing enough for our wildlife.

An average of one elephant is killed every week to support a dangerously growing demand for ivory — and now, elephant skin — in Myanmar and China. People think it could cure skin diseases.
© Julia Thiemann / WWF-Germany

You probably don’t know this but every day this week, the fates of endangered wildlife will be decided.

Here, our bite-sized pictorial updates about wildlife (see more about saving the great whales in our second #WWFInsider in 1 Minute) as we take you through the 70th CITES Standing Committee (1-5 Oct) which also leads up to London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference (11-12 Oct).

CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is supported by the United Nations.

World’s top 6 countries in ivory poaching 

Seized ivory in the Department of National Parks, Bangkok. Six countries implicated in the world’s ivory trade: China, Thailand, Philippines, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
© Ola Jennersten / WWF-Sweden
Every 25 minutes, an African elephant is killed by poachers for ivory.
© Richard Barrett / WWF-UK
Musa (left) hugs his 78-year-old father at his family home in Kenya. A senior community ranger at Loita conservancy, he understands how the illegal wildlife trade in ivory products crossing the border between Kenya and Tanzania is impacting conservation efforts in the area.
© Ami Vitale / WWF-UK
Shipping containers in Mombasa Sea Port, Kenya. 90% of Africa’s ivory is exported from Mombasa to the rest of the world.
© Juozas Cernius / WWF-UK

How does National Ivory Action Plans (NIAPs) help to #stopthetrade?

African elephants on the riverbank in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.
© naturepl.com / Mark Carwardine / WWF
WWF-Kenya’s Peter Loketeler and rangers on an early morning patrol at Elangata Enderit village, Kenya. The NIAPs were in place to ensure that implicated countries, like Kenya, are committed to help combat the illegal trade in ivory.
© Ami Vitale / WWF-UK
In a serious blow to international efforts for elephants, CITES just agreed to release six of the world’s top countries, including Africa (pictured), involved in the ivory trade from NIAPs process.
© Wil Luiijf / WWF
David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya and Tanzania are still major exit points for illegal ivory leaving Africa.
© James Morgan / WWF-US
Ivory bangle is one of the most commonly found items in ivory markets. China’s recent domestic ivory trade ban has yet to put a stop to commercial sales.
© WWF-US / Keith Arnold

Singapore is implicated, too

Despite an international trade ban, most ivory still smuggled to Asia.
© WWF / James Morgan
1,500 pieces of tusks seized in Selangor State Customs. Ivory shipments pass through major transit markets such as Singapore and Malaysia (above), ending up in the hands of consumers in China and Thailand.
© Elizabeth John / TRAFFIC

Want to know more? Watch WWF’s undercover investigation to find out how many ivory shops can still be found in Singapore below: 

Stay tuned to this space for more 1-min updates on global developments in wildlife protection.


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