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Video length: 4 min
VIDEO. 2 tons of ivory destroyed to fight against elephant poaching
Near Reims, France, nearly two tons of ivory were destroyed. The objective: to fight against the killings perpetrated against elephants and stop the ivory trade around the world. – (Raw.)
Near Reims, France, nearly two tons of ivory were destroyed. The objective: to fight against the killings perpetrated against elephants and stop the ivory trade around the world.
Entire tusks, bracelets, necklaces, decorative objects… Here, everything is in natural ivory. “This represents approximately 200 dead elephants.” explain Mia Crnojevic, campaigner for IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). The objects present here were either brought by individuals or seized by customs, “mainly in Roissy Charles de Gaulle” specifies Xavier Morvan, regional director of the OFB (French Office for Biodiversity) for the Grand-Est. This 1.8 ton of objects will soon be destroyed and reduced to powder in order to pass “a very clear message: to say that there is no commercial value associated with this ivory because it is the commercial value that stimulates demand” and it is precisely this request “who is responsible for the killing of elephants” says Mia Crnojevic.
“There were about 1 million elephants in 1975, there are currently just over 400,000 left”
Today, although the possession of ivory is authorized in France, its sale is prohibited by law. The OFB teams, the gendarmerie and customs are therefore also looking for ivory objects sold on the internet. With these bans in several countries on sale, we are witnessing the “closure of ivory markets (…) in China, in the United States, also within the European Union” welcomes Mia Crnojevic. Despite this slowdown in global trade, the IFAW campaigner recalls that every year, “thousands of elephants (continue to die from poaching)” and over the last ten years, “1000 eco-guards died protecting these species”. “Currently, an elephant is killed in Africa every half hour” adds Xavier Morvan, regional director of the OFB (French Office for Biodiversity) for the Grand-Est. The fight is far from over for environmental defenders.