KWS optimistic China’s ban on ivory imports will stem poaching

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and conservationists have welcomed China’s one year ivory carving ban imports, saying this will reduce poaching.

KWS director William Kiprono said although Kenya expected a total ban, the move will see demand of ivory and rhino horn go down because China was a destination of the wildlife trophies in the world. He said: “We have always been pushing for a total ban. This is welcome though because it is a sign of things to come.”

Ivory carving has a long tradition in China and items are popular with Chinese collectors who see them as a valuable investment. The ivory is often intricately carved to depict anything from devotional Buddhist scenes to wildlife and bizarre fantasies, and is also turned into household objects such as chopsticks.

Poaching of rhinos and elephants has been on the rise not only in Kenya, but in Africa where herds are massacred for their horns and ivory.

Kenya is a source and transit country of ivory while Thailand and China are the major consumers. In 2013, the 178-nation summit of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in Bangkok asked the countries, referred to as ‘The gang of eight’  to stop the criminal activity at each level.

Cites warned that the countries, including Kenya, Thailand and China, could be banned from all wildlife trade, including hugely lucrative orchid and crocodile skin exports. The ‘gang of eight’ includes the source countries Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, countries through which ivory is smuggled, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and destination countries, Thailand and China.

Salisha Chandra of Kenya welcomed the ban but said China should have banned importation of ivory.

According to KWS, 164 elephants and 36 rhinos were killed last year.