KWS calls for international ban on ivory trade

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) now wants ivory trade banned internationally; stating that this measure would serve to protect Kenya’s endangered elephants and rhinos.

According to KWS Director General Kitili Mbathi, the population of elephants and rhinos has dropped drastically over the years as poachers are aggressively engaging in ivory trade.

Mbathi noted that the only way of dealing with the issue is to ban the trade of ivory in both international and local markets.

Speaking at KWS Training Institute in Naivasha, Nakuru County, he also called for peaceful co-existence between people and wild animals to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

On Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the country will push for a total ban on global ivory trade at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) in South Africa from 24th September to 5th October.

President Kenyatta said Kenya will maintain her strong position against ivory trade and poaching after torching 105 tonnes of ivory and 1.3 tonnes of rhino horn earlier this month.

“We adopted a green economic strategy and economic plan. Our critical part is our stand against poaching. We torched 105 tonnes of ivory and 1.3 tonnes of rhino horn. The aim was to demonstrate that ivory was worthless unless it was on our elephants,” stated President Kenyatta.

In April, President Kenyatta led other leaders from around the continent, in burning ivory worth billions of shillings.  The grand gesture was meant to communicate that despite the high demand for ivory, Kenya’s wildlife was worth more alive.