Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                    Report: Elephant Numbers Declining Again

   by VOA News

   Wildlife experts say Africa's elephant population is falling again
   after more than 20,000 of the majestic animals were killed last year,
   mostly for their tusks.
   A report from the endangered species watchdog[1] CITES calls poaching
   levels "alarmingly high" and says the killings far exceed the elephant
   population's natural growth rate.  It says in some areas, elephants
   could soon be extinct.
   The report notes many countries have taken steps to combat poachers and
   stop the illegal trade in ivory that fuels the elephant slaughter.
   It says poachings decreased substantially at national parks in Chad,
   Zimbabwe and Uganda in 2013 but rose sharply at the Dzanga Sangha park
   in the troubled Central African Republic.
   The report says East African countries are making more large-scale
   seizures of ivory -- but notes the volume of ivory seized suggests
   international criminal gangs are involved in the poaching.
   CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
   Wild Fauna and Flora.  One hundred eighty member states have signed on
   to the 1975 treaty.
   The international ivory trade was banned in 1989 to stop a sharp
   decline in the elephant population.  The populations recovered -- but
   poaching has surged again in recent years because of continued demand
   for ivory in Asia.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/report-elephant-numbers-declining-aga
   in/1936249.html

References

   1. http://www.cites.org/
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/report-elephant-numbers-declining-again/1936249.html