Nine-year ivory sale ban ending today
Legal ivory trading sale taking place today
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Tuesday, 28, Oct 2008 09:45
Namibia is hosting the first internationally approved auction of ivory in nearly a decade today.
The south African country's capital Windhoek will host the special auction, restricted to Japanese and Chinese buyers, of ivory from elephants which died of natural causes or in population-management programmes.
It is the first of four such auctions held under the auspices of the convention on international trade in endangered species treaty.
But the sales have sparked fierce opposition from animal rights campaigners, who claim flooding the market with the set 108 tonne quantity will prove beneficial for elephant poachers.
"Developing countries persistently bear the brunt of escalating Asian markets," the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) elephants programme director Michael Wamithi said.
"By permitting legal trade in ivory, we are only encouraging the laundering of illicit ivory, thereby increasing illegal hunting activities by poachers.
"The situation is very clear, more ivory in the marketplace equals many more dead elephants and rangers."
Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa will host the remaining three auctions.
According to IFAW 20,000 elephants are slaughtered each year to supply the illegal ivory trade, which has prospered since a 1989 international ban.