UP Insight: Kenya’s Ivory Crush
As international stars such as actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman, and business tycoons George Soros, Paul Allen, Howard Buffet and Michael Bloomberg prepare to descend on Kenya for the super-photogenic opportunity of Kenya’s third and largest Ivory burn to date on April 30, UP is left wondering how useful the whole affair really is in the fight against illegal poaching and ivory trade.
As the argument goes, burning ivory and rhino horn at this scale removes its economic use and sends a resounding message to the world that Kenya’s ivory is not for sale, because Kenyans value their rich cultural and natural heritage, according to KWS. (Although this statement alone has a slightly ironic ring to it, given the recent slaughter of Mohawk at the hands of KWS rangers who were reportedly “out of tranquilizers”.)
Perhaps all will be forgiven and forgotten on 30 April. After all, by presidential decree our wildlife is sacred.
“We want future generations of Kenyans, Africans and indeed the entire world to experience the majesty and beauty of these magnificent animals. Poachers and their enablers will not have the last word in Kenya,” said President Uhuru. “We are committed to combating the menace robustly and persistently until we dismantle the entire vile economy.”
Even if Kenya does get the last word by burning its entire public stockpile of Ivory, will this really reverse the horrific poaching trend that in recent years has been its worst ever?
By KWS’s own admission, the destruction of ivory will not put an end to the illegal ivory trade. And, for all the political positioning in what will be a worldwide publicity stunt for everyone involved, it’s hard to deny a tone of hypocrisy coming from the government. It is well known, for instance, that those close to the administration have historically traded ivory since independence. Perhaps now is the reckoning of that past.
Alluding to this, Paula Kahumba, Director of Wildlife Direct and the ‘Hands Of Our Elephants’ campaign, recently noted on Facebook: “Kenya Wildlife Service has announced an ivory Amnesty - hand in your ivory so that it can be burned on 30th April as a personal statement about elephants; they are Worth More Alive! Have you handed in your old ivory yet?”
As a response to this statement FB lit up with sarcasm: “Does this apply to the President and his Family and other prominent figures, or just every other person like most other laws and initiatives in Kenya?
Others were more direct on the issue: “If the burning of ivory could protect elephants, the second and third burning could not be necessary. It is a photogenic ritual. The only and sure way to protect our heritage is to burn the poachers and smugglers.”
More radical arguments on how to treat Kenya’s stockpile of ivory include flooding the market and therefore reducing its demand internationally; perhaps using the income generated from a street value of ivory worth $270M to plow back into fighting poachers. Historically, KWS has been underfunded in its fight against the illegal trade.
However, conservationists are very quick to point out that releasing ivory into the market only encourages more poaching, because it sends a signal to poachers that their activities are validated at the government level.
No matter how you may come out on the ivory burning issue, we can perhaps all agree we cannot take the killing of any more of our elephants. At a death rate eclipsing 30,000 a year, we could well run out of this precious heritage in just a decade.
