Conservation
DNA tests on illegal elephant ivory has unmasked Africa's three largest smuggling cartels
DNA tests on illegal ivory have unmasked the three largest smuggling hotspots in Africa.
The breakthrough has allowed researchers to identify what appear to be the three elephant poaching cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo.
The international trade in elephant ivory has been illegal since 1989 yet African elephant numbers continue to decline.
In 2016 the International Union for Conservation of Nature cited ivory poaching as a primary reason for the staggering loss of around 111,000 elephants between 2005 and 2015 – leaving their dwindling total numbers at an estimated 415,000.
Read more at Daily MailSource: Daily Mail
Thu 20 Sep 2018 at 08:50
