{"id":364774,"date":"2017-10-24T15:55:46","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T15:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=364774"},"modified":"2017-10-24T15:55:46","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T15:55:46","slug":"ivory-seizures-hit-record-levels-last-year-report-says-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/10\/ivory-seizures-hit-record-levels-last-year-report-says-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivory seizures hit record levels last year, report says"},"content":{"rendered":"
A record amount of ivory was seized last year, even though elephant poaching in Africa declined for a fifth year in a row, a\u00a0report says.<\/p>\n
About 40 tonnes of trafficked ivory was recovered, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites)\u00a0report says.<\/p>\n
While poaching killed 111,000 African elephants over the last decade, in most places it appears to be levelling off.<\/p>\n
Cites has welcomed the news but sounded a note of caution.<\/p>\n
“The global collective effort that is underway is starting to reap positive results, but we are certainly not there yet,” the organisation’s Secretary-General John Scanlon said.<\/p>\n
The report said the record weight of seizures could be down to better awareness and law enforcement.<\/p>\n
It comes despite there being an increase in the amount of ivory being carved into bangles and pendants in Africa, rather than just being exported as tusks to Asia which are easier to intercept.<\/p>\n