Kenya is currently burning 12 huge ivory towers in a move to discourage the poaching of elephants and rhinos for Ivory.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta set fire to the elephant tusks and rhino horns on a rainy Saturday amidst several African nations and hundreds of onlookers.
It is the largest burn of illegal wildlife goods in history worth over $172 million
Speaking at the burn ceremony, Mr Kenyatta said: “The rising value of elephant ivory trade, illegally on the international market, has resulted in a massacre in the rainforest of Africa,”
“In 10 years in central Africa we have lost as many as 70% of the elephants. The elephant, as has been said, is an iconic symbol of our country. Unless we take action now we risk losing this magnificent animal.”
“A time has come when we must take a stand and the stand is clear … Kenya is making a statement that, for us, ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants.”
According to Kenya’s Wildlife Service, the stacks of tusks and rhino horn represent more than 8,000 elephants and some 343 rhinos.
Though the value of the stockpile is over $172 million, the Kenyans say that the stockpile is not valuable — it’s worthless.
“From a Kenyan perspective, we’re not watching any money go up in smoke,” Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Kitili Mbathi said. “The only value of the ivory is tusks on a live elephant.”
Every 15 minutes, an elephant is killed for its tusks and some 1,338 rhinos were poached in Africa last year.
