To be or not to be: the question for world’s elephant populations
Bangkok, Thailand

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) announced today that African elephant range states are meeting during the next three days in Bangkok to debate competing proposals over ivory trade. One proposal calls for a 20 year moratorium, the other would lift the 14 year ban on ivory trade.

IFAW believes that since both Asian and African elephants remain endangered the ivory trade should remain banned. “Poachers continue to kill elephants illegally and elephant populations are on the decline worldwide despite the current ban on ivory trade.” According to Grace Gabriel, Deputy Director of Wildlife Habitat Protection at IFAW, “If poaching trends increase due to reopening ivory trade, in less than 18 months elephants will cease to exist in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to name just one site critically endangered by the risks posed by resumption of ivory trade.”