KENYA-WILDLIFE/IVORY INVENTORY Kenya begins DNA inventory of rhino and elephant stockpile

Record ID: 146443

  • Title: KENYA-WILDLIFE/IVORY INVENTORY Kenya begins DNA inventory of rhino and elephant stockpile
  • Date: 21st July 2015
  • Summary: TSAVO, KENYA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ELEPHANT HERD IN BUSH NAIROBI, KENYA (FILE) (REUTERS) KWS PERSONNEL LOOKING AT IMPOUNDED IVORY VARIOUS OF IVORY BEING BURNT
  • Embargoed: 5th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1MLR5RGH5UEGCCBV7OZE9GDUJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: CORRECTION: PLEASE NOTE LOCATIONS DO NOT INCLUDE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK, AS PREVIOUSLY STATED
    Kenya on Tuesday (July 21) began a national exercise to create an inventory of its huge elephant ivory and rhino horn stockpile.
    The 45-day task, which will enable Kenya to meet international conservation obligations, will involve the collection of ivory and horn samples, which will be used to create a DNA reference library.
    Kenya's environment secretary, Judy Wakhungu, said over 21 tonnes of elephant and rhino trophies had already been inventoried.
    "This is the first time these high value trophy stockpiles will be digitally inventoried in one go and shall form the basis for future national audits and fulfillment of the provisions of the Wildlife Act 2013 and reporting to the CITES convention," said Wakhungu.
    Poaching has surged in the last few years across sub-Saharan Africa, where gangs kill elephants and rhinos to feed Asian demand for ivory and horns for use in folk medicines.
    Kenya's parliament recently passed strict anti-poaching laws and the government has beefed up security at parks to stop poaching, which threatens the vital tourism industry.
    Wakhungu said a DNA profile would be created from the inventory which will play a major role in the prosecution of wildlife-related crimes.
    "The inventory exercise will involve collection of elephant ivory and rhino horn samples which will be used to create a DNA reference library for profiling the national populations of the elephants and rhinos. This DNA reference library to be created will be essential component in analysis of forensic evidence for use in prosecution of wildlife crimes not only in the country but also in the region," said Wakhungu.
    Kenya, which has emerged as major transit route for ivory destined for Asian markets from eastern and central Africa, has imposed longer jail terms and bigger fines for wildlife poaching or trafficking.
    Richard Leakey, a veteran conservationist and board Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service, said Kenya has in its stores approximately one-and-a-half tonnes of rhino horns and around 100 tonnes of elephant tusks.
    "With the tough laws that Kenya has now enacted, we can strengthen our own security capacity. I think ivory trading or ivory acquisition through poaching in Kenya could quite quickly come to a perfectly manageable level again. We are always going to lose a few elephants. We have a lot of elephants, but we don't have enough to get to the level we were in 1988, 1989 where we were losing three of four thousand a year. So we must not be complacent. At the moment, I think our biggest challenge is to persuade the international community to insist at the international conference next year at CITES that there must be no, no variance of a total ban," said Leakey.
    Rhino horn sold on the streets of major Asian cities was last year more valuable than gold or platinum, with traders asking for about $65,000 per kilogramme. A kilogramme of gold is currently worth about $35,000 while a kilogramme of platinum is around $30,000.
    Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment including drones to track poaching gangs and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos roaming its sweeping national parks.
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