Kenya’s president has set fire to thousands of elephant tusks and rhino horns.
Plumes of smoke rose as the flames took hold of tusks piled up in a game reserve on the edge of the capital Nairobi. The fire destroyed around 105 tonnes of ivory from about 8000 animals, the biggest ever incineration of its kind.
Kenya did this to send a clear message to poachers – trade in the animal parts must be stopped!
President Uhuru Kenyatta dismissed those who argued Kenya should instead have sold the ivory and the tonne of rhino horn.
“Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants,” he said.
Some estimated the tusks and horns would have an illegal market value of US$150 million (NZ$214 million).
Poaching is a deadly crime against wildlife. Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. The ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewellery.
Kenya is seeking a total world ban on ivory sales when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meets in South Africa later this year.
CITES banned commercial trade in African elephant ivory in 1989, but since then has permitted one-off sales.
16 Responses
yeah stop animal cruelty
how would you feel if animals
treated you bad or tortured you
you won’t feel very good am i right or
am i right. so stop it!!!!!!! >:C
That is so mean!!!!!
when I was in mexico i saw an elefant getting attacked
that’s awsome if it works then animals wont go extinct
Sad??????
I t is very clear that he is sending a message-DON’T KILL ELEPHANTS!!!
STOP ANIMAL CRUELTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PEOPLE DONT UNDERSTAND THE ANIMALS R DYING BECAUSE OF THIS
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STOP ANIMAL CRUELTY 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
I don’t think that they should be taking animals tusks because they could get very ill and die. It’s cruel and is not necessary. If they were trying to give people a message they could have done it another way. They should be fined and the president should know no longer be the president!
wow they are huge who would do that
sad
who does that its not nice at all. Who Would do something like that its making me sad 🙁
I don’t think burning all that ivory was smart because it may raise the price for it, and then ivory will be even more valuable.
That’s so sad. ?
That is so sad. why don’t they make it into some chess?
I think that’s really sad!!! But it’s a waste burning the ivory, they could have used it for charity or something useful!
That is so bad and sad at the same time ?????????