Posted on 04/30/2013 8:42:17 AM PDT by chessplayer
(CNN) -- At the start of the 1980s there were more than a million elephants in Africa. During that decade, 600,000 were destroyed for ivory products. Today perhaps no more than 400,000 remain across the continent, according to Samuel Wasser of the University of Washington, who is widely recognized as an authority on the subject.
If this level of killing continues, if elephants continue to be slaughtered for trinkets and statuettes, in 10 years' time most of Africa's elephants will be gone and an ineffable symbol of majesty and wonder -- and the linchpin in the ecology of an entire continent -- will have been consigned to oblivion.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
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lets do the math, hitlary is how old now?
There's 2 reporters; 1 in Africa and 1 in china. There are many, large, elaborate pieces available in china.
My only answer to that question is “it’s not our call”.
The Chinese are moving into Africa in a big way, and the factory managers like to hunt ivory on weekends from helicopters.
Celebrate diversity!
Sorry, I’m jaded about the whole endangered species thing.
Chalk it up to animal “rights” activists who cause untold misery among human beings — for whom the planet and its animals were created — over the supposed demise of minnows, spiders, salamanders, microbes, etc.
I pretty much don’t give a rat’s heinie what goes the way of the dinosaur any more. Except that I’d like to see every member of the animal “rights” lobby extinct.
“Oh, fer petes sake! Trade in elephant ivory has been outlawed for how long now? Are we supposed to believe that roving hordes of ivory poachers are still decimating elephant populations?”
Yes, you are. It is still legal to possess ivory, as long as it’s “old”. There is a great deal of new “old” ivory, very popular in Asia.
Yes, because people would NEVER trade illegal products. How shocking.
Yes, as a matter of fact, there ARE roving hordes of ivory poachers.
I don’t think God called on man to kill off every other species on the planet. The animal rights lobbyist does go too far, but its a bit sad that you couldn’t care less if some of the more majestic members of the animal kingdom literally go the way of the dodo.
I’m a bit conflicted here. Don’t these environmental-whackos predict we’ll all be dead from climate change anyway. So what does it matter? Actually, just think how much innocent vegetation these bulky critters (the ele’s) destroy every day. Environmentally sound...I think it might be better if they were gone. Save random vegetation!!!!!
As far as I’m concerned, the people whining about it are part of the problem. They need to put up or shut up and go stop it.
The same way I feel about people who seem to think we should be involved in everybody else’s wars.
>> its a bit sad that you couldnt care less
Sorry, pal. Didn’t mean to make you all sad.
So... what should I do about it? Wring my hands? Flop sweat? Write “animal planet” a check? What? I don’t buy ivory or elephant skin, as it is... kinda seems above my pay grade to effect what happens to them.
And can you define for me exactly where in the food chain I should begin to give a damn?
And can you help me figure out whether I should care MORE about the forty million aborted actual, y’know, CHILDREN than I do about the elephants?
Guide me, Oh Moral Arbiter.
I guess we should just kill all the Asians. Or better yet we should send all the guns we confiscate to the elephants and give them maps to Asia and provide transportation. They appear to be smart enough, if you believe the details of this story ,that they can take care of themselves if given the means.
>> Actually, just think how much innocent vegetation these bulky critters (the eles) destroy every day.
You got it! Plus, every time one of them farts, Earth’s temperature rises 0.8 degrees.
Don’t even get me started about those damned whales peeing in the pool. Disgusting, I’ll say that much. And if you’ve ever had a spotted owl drop a load on the windshield of your just-washed brand-new tree shredder while you’re razing an old growth forest, you’ll want to personally endanger every last one of those too, tell you what!
I can only tell you what I personally observed during my safaris in East Africa during the 1980s and 1990s: poachers operating freely with the protection of corrupted government officials. Elephants and rhinos protected by guards armed with bolt-action rifles - until the guards were driven off by poachers armed with semi-automatic rifles, who then slaughtered the animals, took the horns and ivory, and left the carcasses to rot in the African sun.
The problem is real. Alarmist twaddle? No.
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