While the rejection of once-off sales might please the animal rights groups who claim to be protecting the elephants from poachers. Photo: Supplied
What has long been needed, instead, is a consistent marketing process that yields realistic prices for a steady supply of ivory to meet a legitimate worldwide demand — ivory that comes mainly from elephants that have died of natural causes and left their tusks behind. Can you think of a more frustrating position than having both a problem and a number of potential solutions, yet being prohibited from employing any of them? It borders on the bullying associated with dictatorships and it is high time the SADC nations reacted to the challenge it represents.
According to Botswana’s former minister of environment and tourism, now ambassador to the US, Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, only “fraud, rigged elections, sold votes bought by the Europeans” have prevailed. He was describing the stolen election at the August 2019 Cites vote in Geneva, Switzerland. The income from legal international ivory trade sales would also meet the socio-economic needs of communities co-existing with wild animals. With wildlife able to pay for its keep through the trade of ivory and the sale of other wildlife products, taxpayers’ money for public health, education and infrastructure development would no longer be diverted to meet various environmental crises.
Harris said that SADC countries have been unsuccessful in fighting against Western animal rights groups because they can’t “match their funding”.