Kenya ivory seizure reflects disappointing rise in poaching levels

Wildlife officials here Monday displayed more than half a tonne of recently-seized ivory, reflecting a rise in poaching they said was prompted by the controversial sale of stockpiled tusks last year.

The seizures in Kenya were part of what officials said was the largest-ever anti-poaching operation in East Africa, involving authorities in six states.

"Tons of illegal ivory have been seized and hundreds of people arrested in the largest-to-date international operation targeting wildlife crime across Eastern Africa," the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said.

KWS official Patrick Omondi said the seizures showed an increase in poaching in Kenya and elsewhere, and highlighted a clear link with the UN-authorised one-off sale of more than 100 tonnes of stockpiled ivory by four southern African countries in 2008.

"We've seen an increase in poaching in the country and one of the factors is the sale," said Omondi.

"Kenya opposed it on the grounds it would stimulate illegal killing," Omondi said.

An official from Interpol's wildlife crime unit said: "The argument was that if we sold those stockpiles it would satisfy demand and put an end to poaching.

"That argument was false. When that ivory was sold, poaching was stimulated," the official said.

Interpol and other regional and international organisations were involved in the seizure operations that also included Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Detailed results from those countries have not yet been released.

The 568 kilos (1,252 pounds) put on display by Kenyan authorities in Nairobi on Monday was in addition to 532 kilos seized in the initial phase of the operation some three months ago.

The wildlife service's security chief, Peter Leitoro, claimed the seizures were a serious blow to poachers who were increasingly sophisticated and dangerous.

"We have seen the criminals getting more organised. In the past the charcters you were dealing with had bows and arrows. Today they are individuals with firearms," he told reporters.

The wildlife service used sniffer dogs to detect much of the ivory on display.

The ivory trade was banned in 1989 because poachers were wiping out elephant populations.

Kenya's elephant population shrank from 160,000 in 1973 to one tenth of that by the time the ban was introduced.

The ban on the international trade in ivory, the establishment of the KWS and anti-poaching measures have enabled the population to climb back up to some 35,000 currently.

The controversial UN-approved auction in October last year involved Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe and was conducted under the supervision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).