African elephants can disappear if the scale of the poaching fishery remains at the same level. This is stated in the CITES report (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), BBC Ukraine writes.
According to the information of the organization, 20,000 elephants die each year from the hands of poachers. This is more than the annual increase in the number of their population.
The document also reports that the number of ivory consignments intercepted in Africa is growing. According to the authors of the report, this shows that organized criminal groups are involved in the illegal trade in ivory.
Since 1989, there has been a ban on international ivory trade to protect the elephant population in Africa. As the BBC’s environmental correspondent Matt McGrath notes, despite positive signals from countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and China, negative trends continue to prevail.
In particular, the growth of hunting for elephants is observed in the Central African Republic, where the population of these animals is on the verge of total destruction.
