mothernaturenetwork: Elephants are worth 76 times more alive than deadvia Mother Nature NetworkE
mothernaturenetwork: Elephants are worth 76 times more alive than dead via Mother Nature NetworkEven in the midst of an international poaching boom, ivory from dead elephants can’t compete with the value of seeing these impressive animals alive and in their element, according to a new report.Africa’s elephants are under siege. Driven by foreign demand for ivory, poachers are killing these iconic animals faster than they can reproduce. More than 120,000 African elephants were poached from 2010 to 2013, and on average, one is now killed every 15 minutes somewhere across the continent.The motivation for this carnage is the high price of ivory: A pair of elephant tusks can bring in about $21,000 on the black market. But according to a new report by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s iWorry campaign, every living elephant can generate $1.6 million for its local economy by attracting eco-tourists. In other words, a live elephant is worth 76 times more than a dead one.Continue reading on Mother Nature Network -- source link
#mothernaturenetwork#bloodivory#supplyanddemand#wildlifeadvocacy#wildlifeproject