What a sad end to nature.
Yesterday (Thursday, 14th April), Malaysian wildlife authorities destroyed some 9500kg of illegal elephant ivory that were seized over the years to showcase the country’s commitment in curbing the alarming trend of wildlife poaching and smuggling.
The destruction of the huge pile of African elephant ivory, which were seized in several large raids between 2011 and 2015 and estimate to be worth about US$20 million (RM80 million), took place at Seremban’s Environmental Quality Centre.
“This is our first-ever ivory destruction. We want to send a strong message to the world that Malaysia does not compromise in protecting endangered species,” said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The operation was carried out through crushing and incineration. Although these destruction events “do not necessarily offer a silver bullet solution” in stopping the killing of African elephants, the Ministry said it was the best way to ensure the elephant tusks would not return to the black market.
Ivory is highly priced for its traditional Chinese medicine and decorative ornaments uses. According to reports, tens of thousands of African elephants are killed every year, thus threatening the future of elephants across the continents.
This breaks our hearts. It makes us sick to our stomach to see the death and destruction of these animals sacrificed for the greed and profit of poachers. Go here to sign the petition and reject the ivory trade.
Sources: The Star, Trading Charts, Traffic.org.
