Illegal ivory trade on the rise as organized crime syndicates in Africa, Asia grow in strength

By Matthew McDermott, New York, NY  on 11.12.09 A couple weeks ago we learned that at present poaching rates Africa’s elephants will all be extinct in just fifteen years. Well, here’s so more on that: The wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC brings word that the illegal ivory trade has increased markedly in the latest analysis, and that organized crime networks linking Africa to Asia are behind it. According to the 2009 data from the Elephant Trade Information System [PDF] between 1989 and 2007 there were 12,364 recorded elephant product seizure records, but in the past two years that number has increased by 2,000 seizures. The ETIS data shows that the surge in 2009 is the result of, “increased involvement of organized crime syndicates in the trade, connecting African source countries with Asian end-use markets.” Over the past decade these crime syndicates have only grown stronger. …

Illegal Ivory Trade on the Rise as Organized Crime Syndicates in Africa, Asia Grow in Strength