Elephants will go extinct in the wild in my lifetime, pretty sure of it. China is the main reason, we are making China so rich the demand for ivory is growing more with the killing of every elephant. The scarcity is driving prices up every day. In the last few weeks it is over $500 a pound. Rhino horns are now far higher than gold. Almost all goes to China and Viet Nam. The two main markets for both horn and tusk.
A few days ago in Zimbabwe 300 elephants were killed with cyanide at a water hole. Many hundreds of other species died, antelope, deer, zebra, then those who feed on the dying; lion, hyena, jackal, and buzzards. From almost 5 million of the great beasts in 1930 to below 100,000 today. With a birthrate of no more than one every 2.5 years, the current death rate exceeds the breeding age females possibility of maintaining the population. And with fewer tusk available the price drives more intense poaching.
Adding to pressure on elephants: drought, wars, population growth, timber clearing, oil drilling, increased farming.
That really sucks, of course ...
ReplyDeleteyep it sucks, maybe we can convince them mosquito's have a viagra affect.
DeleteWhere are the damned game wardens?
ReplyDeleteYou know, we have a similar poaching problem in the states with black bears - the Asiand want the paws and gall bladders for an powered form of Viagra - last I heard - that or snorting powdered deer anther didn't work either....
Sarge
Tiger penis is also thought to work as viagra, basically were running out of animals/
DeleteThat was the strangest thing in Korea - the Koreans would have a picture taken of a baby son wearing a cape and a crowned hat but with his little dick and balls hanging out.
DeleteTalk about an obsession with manliness...