Gabon destroys 5 tons of illegal ivory
COMMERCIAL PHOTO - In this photograph released by WWF-Canon via AP Images, ñ Mba Ndong Marius, an Eco Guard from Oyem, holds seized ivory tusks and stands in front of confiscated weapons following an anti-poaching patrol in northern Gabon on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba last year created an elite military unit whose mission is to secure Gabon's parks and to protect wildlife, especially against poaching and illegal trade of ivory. Across Central Africa, thousands of elephants are killed each year for their tusks, which are in demand as carvings and ornaments in Asia. An estimated 5,000 to 12,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory. Gabon's work to put an end to ivory related wildlife crime has the strong support and involvement of WWF. (WWF-Canon / James Morgan via AP Images)
Credits: AP photo
LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gabon's president set fire to the country's stockpile of illegal ivory in what environmentalists are calling a bold move aimed at stopping the rampant poaching of elephants in Africa.
The stockpile weighing close to 5 metric tons includes 1,293 pieces of rough ivory and 17,730 pieces of worked ivory. The total corresponds to 850 dead elephants.
President Ali Bongo said Wednesday that the West African nation has "zero tolerance" for poaching.
According to a report by the United Nations body that regulates the wildlife trade, 2011 was the worst year on record for elephant poaching in Africa. Tens of thousands of elephants are killed in Africa each year for their tusks, which are in demand in Asia.
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