Poaching blamed for 62 percent drop in Central Africa’s elephant population

[xchrom]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/26/poaching-blamed-for-62-percent-drop-in-central-africas-elephant-population/



Poaching on an “industrial” scale has slashed the elephant population in the countries of central Africa by nearly two-thirds, a group of international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said on Friday.

“A recent study shows that the population of forest elephants has dropped by almost two-thirds or 62 percent in the past 10 years, victims of large-scale ivory poaching,” the group of eight NGOs said in a statement.

“The situation is dramatic and worrying. It’s very dangerous,” Jerome Mokoko, assistant director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, told reporters at a news conference in Brazzaville.

“Nearly 5,000 elephants have been lost in the northern zone of Congo between 2009 and 2011,” said Mokoko.

[gejohnston]

1. I hate ivory and horn mongers

I was brought up with "if you kill it you eat it" and I taught my kids the same.