Counting elephant and rhinoceros poachings

The results are mixed. Based on a flyover census by a joint force of Kenya and Tanzania authorities, elephants had a modest increase compared to counts in previous years.  According to the government, elephant population increased 36 percent, the lowest increase recorded since the beginning of aerial census taking.  During the same period, ending with the census of 2010, Africa’s zebras and other large mammals doubled.  Buffaloes increased by 72 percent.  According to conservationists, Africa has lost over 1,000 rhinos in the last 18 months.  Kenya lost 384 elephants to poachers in 2012, compared to 278 in 2011, and 177 in 2010.  These statistics are reported today in the Daily Nation, one of the major papers published in Nairobi.

Since January of this year Kenya has lost 172 elephants and 21 rhinos to poaches.

The census for 2013 will provide further evidence to the killing off of elephant and rhinoceros in Kenya and Tanzaina.   Interestingly, the United States has blood on its hands when it comes to the sale of ivory.  According to a 2008 report, which I will detail more in another post, demand in the United States for ivory ranks is among the highest.  It is time to address this with awareness campaigns and legislation outlawing the sale of any ivory in our country.  It is tragic that demand for animal tusk and horn may ruin the experience of our children to see an unfenced world with free roaming animals of antiquity.  Today we are borrowing from our children.  Our generation borrows from Social Security to the over use of limited resources.  I often wonder if the planet will someday simply dry up and look like planet Mars. It is an interesting planet to look at but I wouldn’t want to live there.  We ought to do our best to keep the planet biologically diverse for the next 10,000 years.