TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 33,000 African elephants were killed each year between 2010 and 2012, putting the species near extinction.
“Our analysis demonstrates the heavy toll illegal ivory trade is taking on African elephants, and suggests current off-take exceeds the intrinsic growth capacity of the species,” said a team of US researchers from Colorado State University as reported by Metro on Monday.
The team, led by Dr. George Wittemyer, found the number of elephants in central Africa dropped 63.7 percent between 2002 and 2012. The research that was included in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said the slaughter of these elephants reached its peak in 2011 with eight percent of the elephants killed or equal to more than 40,000.
The slaughter may be linked to the increasing demand in China where carved ornaments made from tusks are prized.
“These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of illegal ivory harvest to date and confirm current ivory consumption is not sustainable,” wrote the researchers.
RINDU P. HESTYA