That paper is a national disgrace.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
An Article Written By Utter IDIOTS!

"Utter Idiots" is too much of a compliment!

What the writer fails to describe is that the stockpile, is the result of ivory collected over the years, many, many years!

He fails to offer any inside story on the 191 lbs pair of tusks considering one doesn't come across 190 lbs tusk every other day of the week anywhere in Africa! (if I recall, one was slightly shorter and some 10-15 lbs lighter).

Some of you may recall that this elephant was taken by a "rogue game scout" who had become familiar with the bull which resided in the Ruaha National Park; waited for the opportune moment and killed it.

I have had the privilege of handling these tusks shortly after they were brought to the Game Department some 3o years ago but were then kept in a side room away from the pile which over the years to follow grew into what is the current "stockpile".

Unfortunately when morons are given privileged access to warehouses such as this one, the same privilege is misrepresented to suit their own warped purpose.

I'm surprised they ever let the press in there at all!

I never trust the media an inch and I'd trust the British media even less!

Simple minded Texan thinking I guess, but somehow I believe if all of the African countries that have such stockpiles of ivory, legal/illegal don't matter would simply dump it all on the open market and drive the price thru the floor.

The animals that ivory came from are long dead and gone. Without poaching, elephants of all ages and sexes die naturally annually.

Probably the majority of the ivory from those animals that die of natural causes is recovered by someone.

To me it just makes more sense to develop a legal market, even if the supply is limited, then to hoard the stuff and keep the black market/poaching forces actively working to supply the demand.

To me and I say this as an uninformed Texan, when Leakey burned all that ivory that time, for some reason I didn't view that as a real intelligent move.

quote:

Originally posted by
To me and I say this as an uninformed Texan, when Leakey burned all that ivory that time, for some reason I didn't view that as a real intelligent move.

But the Kenyan polititians who had their share of the ivory trade cheered and cheered......

This was the best part of that article:
"He said the president was willing to burn it, but in return Tanzania wanted roughly £30 million from the international community for an elephant conservation fund. Potential Western donors scoff at that unrealistically high figure."

I guess 30M is too rich for the animal rights money machine. Give me a break! This would not put a dent in their coffers but it would kill a large chunk of their publicity.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Simple minded Texan thinking I guess, but somehow I believe if all of the African countries that have such stockpiles of ivory, legal/illegal don't matter would simply dump it all on the open market and drive the price thru the floor.
The animals that ivory came from are long dead and gone.

Tanzania has been trying to convince CITES to allow them to sell theirs but a number of African member states and conservationists have been aptly able to put the spanner in the works, Kenya being the main frontrunner in leading the veto campaign against TZ.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Simple minded Texan thinking I guess, but somehow I believe if all of the African countries that have such stockpiles of ivory, legal/illegal don't matter would simply dump it all on the open market and drive the price thru the floor.
The animals that ivory came from are long dead and gone.

Tanzania has been trying to convince CITES to allow them to sell theirs but a number of African member states and conservationists have been aptly able to put the spanner in the works, Kenya being the main frontrunner in leading the veto campaign against TZ.

Kenyan politicians like ivory supplies to be restricted and unregulated.

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Simple minded Texan thinking I guess, but somehow I believe if all of the African countries that have such stockpiles of ivory, legal/illegal don't matter would simply dump it all on the open market and drive the price thru the floor.
The animals that ivory came from are long dead and gone.

Tanzania has been trying to convince CITES to allow them to sell theirs but a number of African member states and conservationists have been aptly able to put the spanner in the works, Kenya being the main frontrunner in leading the veto campaign against TZ.

I'm afraid no longer. TZ has publicly stated that they will put their entire ivory stock "beyond any economic use".

quote:

I'm afraid no longer. TZ has publicly stated that they will put their entire ivory stock "beyond any economic use".

Mich:

You reckon the entire lot is going to end up in the mincer?

I have my doubts.

Saeed


Thank you for posting this article. I used it today in my 5th grade(10 & 11 year-olds) to teach "conotation/denotation".

The fact that it provided an excellent opportunity to highlight the idiocy of the antis was an added benefit!

Arrrrggggghhh

anybody want to give additional insight to the figure stated regarding Selous elephant population: 2006 with 60,000 eles and present day ~13000.

Is this accurate? or yet another blatant lie?

quote:

Originally posted by justanotherhunter:
anybody want to give additional insight to the figure stated regarding Selous elephant population: 2006 with 60,000 eles and present day ~13000.

Is this accurate? or yet another blatant lie?

From what I understand it's fairly accurate. They've been hammered in the Selous the past few years.

quote:

Originally posted by Greg Brownlee:

quote:

Originally posted by justanotherhunter:
anybody want to give additional insight to the figure stated regarding Selous elephant population: 2006 with 60,000 eles and present day ~13000.

Is this accurate? or yet another blatant lie?

From what I understand it's fairly accurate. They've been hammered in the Selous the past few years.

Really sad but that matches "the word on the street".