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Surge in Zimbabwe elephant poaching
 Tourists can now buy ivory in Zimbabwe |
By Joseph Winter in Harare
There has been a dramatic upsurge in elephant poaching in Zimbabwe, one of the countries allowed to sell ivory stocks earlier this year.
Since it began the sales, Zimbabwe's Government has not commented on how many elephants have been killed by poachers.
But the new figures come from the country's state-owned newspaper, the Herald, and so can be treated as semi-official. The paper says that in Chewore National Park, 84 elephants have been killed this year - 31 of them in the past fortnight.
 Animal rights groups say authorising ivory sales promotes poaching |
Trade in ivory was banned 10 years ago after poaching decimated elephant populations in much of Africa.
But in April this year, three countries which had managed to preserve their elephant herds, sold their ivory stocks to Japan on an experimental basis.
Zimbabwe earned around $2.5m by selling 20 tonnes of elephant tusks which were supposed to have been used for conservation and to help local communities.
Treaty under review
In May next year, the body which oversees the trade in endangered species, CITES, will review its decision to lift the ban on the sale of ivory.
Animal rights campaigners have warned that allowing any trade in ivory would trigger a rise in poaching, threatening the survival of the world's largest land animal.
Rather bizarrely, Zimbabwe is suggesting that this upsurge in poaching is being organised by animal rights groups to strengthen their argument that the ivory trade should be banned once more.
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See also: | |
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 | 31 Jul 99 | Africa |
| Kenya seizes large ivory stash |
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| 16 Jul 99 | Africa |
| Japan imports African ivory |
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| 09 Feb 99 | Sci/Tech |
| Shoot an elephant, save a species |
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| 10 Feb 99 | Sci/Tech |
| Ivory ban lifted |
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| 10 Feb 99 | Sci/Tech |
| The allure of ivory |
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| 24 Aug 99 | Africa |
| Kenya seizes ivory poachers |
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| World Wildlife Fund |
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| UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species |
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