By RFIPalled on 27-08-2019Modified on 27-08-2019 at 23:43
Meeting in Geneva, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, has virtually banned the sale of wild elephants from Africa. Zoos and parks will hardly be able to get any more. A decision hailed by NGOs, but variously appreciated in Africa.
With our correspondent in Geneva, Jérémie Lanche
87 votes in favor, 29 against and 25 abstentions. We must not trust the result of the vote. The text, presented by the European Union, provoked very lively exchanges between delegations, even causing an interruption of the session.
Among the main opponents, Zimbabwe and Botswana . Both countries consider their elephant population too large and would like to trade freely. Zimbabwe has sold close to a hundred in recent years to China and Dubai.
From now on, and except in exceptional circumstances, elephants caught in Africa can only be transferred to conservation programs and on the continent.
Ivory trade still banned
CITES has also rejected a request from Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to partially lift the ban on ivory trade. The measure, according to the environmental NGOs, has further encouraged poaching. 40,000 elephants are victims each year.
" An elephant mother who is killed by poachers for ivory, the elephant is alone," says Arnaud Horellou, the French delegation to CITES and the Museum of Natural History in Paris. He needs help to grow at first. Often, he will be weaned and so in this case, it is transferred to a center. So we must consider this temporary transfer and then put it back in the wild, otherwise the elephant dies. This type of case required very special exceptions that were completely secure to prevent it from being a hidden door to send elephants to the zoo. "
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