Poaching on the Rise

After years of relative safety from poachers, Kenya's elephants are once again threatened by ruthless ivory hunters. Strict bans on exports of ivory from nearby Zaire and Tanzania have made Kenya's pachyderms prime targets for poachers eager to supply a financially stable product used for curio carving, electronic insulators and piano keys. The demand is so great that recently the price of ivory has gone from $14 to $72 a kilo--even elephant teeth today bring $21 a molar. As a result, poaching elephants for their tusks and teeth has become more lucrative than ever. Game officials estimate that in the next 18 months 10% of Kenya's more than 70,000 elephants will be killed by ivory hunters. Many of the victims will be young females because their ivory is softer and easier to carve.

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