NOTHING SPEAKS so
clearly of human greed and
avarice than the image of a
once-magnificent
killed and left to rot,
murdered for the market
value of its mighty tusks.

- —

egy
Trendell-Whittaker

ECOINFO

African elephant populations
fell from 130,000 in 1973 to an
estimated 16,000 in 1989, largely
because of the illegal trade in
ivory.

The price of ivory on the inter-
national market grew steadily over
those years, reaching a high of
nearly $300 per kilogram in 1989.

Poachers attracted by the pro-
spect of wealth armed themselves
with AK-47 assault weapons and
felled as many of the massive
beasts as they could — regardless
of whether they were living in
parks and reserves.

The ever-escalating crisis was
finally controlled in October 1989
when the parties of the Conven-
\ion on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES)
voted to put the elephant on Ap-
pendix 1, thereby banning interna-
tional trade in ivory between the
parties.

This, combined with a decreas-
ed public demand for ivory thanks
to awareness campaigns, has
slowed poaching considerably.

TAE KWON

Karate
Demonstration

Capilano Mali
Sat. Feb. 29, 3-4pm

Classes for Ages 5 and up
Open Monday-Saturday
Master Choi's

Tae Kwon-Do
(Karate School)

222 Pemberton Street
(Next to North Shore Taxi)

elephant -

Friday, February 28, 1992 - North Shore News — 47

ENVIRONMENT
Ivory trading increase endangers elephants

Kenyan poachers who would
have received $20 to $30 per kg of
ivory in 1989 could only get $3 for
the same amount in 1990.

For a short time, it seemed like
we had the makings of a success
story. Field observers began to
witness elephants in areas the
mammals had not been seen for
years. Ivory carving factories in
Hong Kong and China shut their
doors.

But now the threat has return-
ed. Some South African nations,
including Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Namibia, Malawi and Zambia,
wish to form an ivory trading
cartel and are calling fer CITES
to downgrade the elephant from
Appendix 1 to Appendix 2, thus
allowing for a limited trade in
ivory.

Their claim is that elephants are
not endangered in their regions (it
was Kenya who first initiated the
call fos a ban), and that scientific
DNA ‘‘fingerprinting’’ could be
used by conservation authorities
to determine whether the ivory
originated from a legal trading
area,

Of course, by that time the ele-
phant has already been
slaughtered.

The Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS) believes that any lifting of
trade barriers on ivory, no matter
how limited, will cause a
resurgence in poacher activity.

Dr. Richard Leakey, director of
KWS, will be speaking at the
March 7 meetings of CITES in
Kyoto, Japan, where the future of
the ban will be discussed.

Tonight, however, he is speak-
ing on the subject in Vancouver.
Dr. Leakey will appear at the Or-
pheum at 7:30 p.m. and tickets
will be available at the door if
they haven’t been sold out.

Prices are $15 for adults, $13
for students/seniors.

Undoubtedly Dr. Leakey will
have harrowing stories to tell. The
well-armed poachers have little
compunction for taking human
life when encountered in the field
by anti-poaching units.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has
purchased modern aircraft,

weapons and communications
equipment to battle poacher activ-
ity — obviously at great expense.

Efforts are also directed toward
monitoring the status and trends
of Kenya’s elephant population to
increase the effectiveness of ele-
phant management in parks and
reserves and judge the results of
anti-poaching work.

The Kenya Wildlife Fund
(Canada) was formed in 1990 to
assist the KWS and Dr. Leakey
with his work.

In one year, the fund has
garnered 2,000 members and
received $205,000 in donations,
which was used for wildlife educa-
tion facilities, patrol vehicles, an
aircraft engine, a water project to
benefit the Masai, and more.

Activities have included a
benefit in Toronto, attended by

actors Jimmy Stewart and Loretta
Swit, ongoing public awareness
advertising in space donated in
National Geographic and Time
magazines, an ‘‘adopt an ele-
phant’’ campaign, and an
awareness campaign and T-shirt
sale undertaken by the Body Shop
that raised over $100,000.

Artist Robert Bateman created
Homage to Ahmed, a painting of
the last of the great tuskers,
specifically to aid in fundraising
for anti-poaching efforts.

Fifty original hand-drawn
lithographs ($4,950 each) are
available, with all money going to
the Kenya Wildlife Fund.

As individuals, we can help by
refusing to buy ivory ornaments.
We can also help by becoming a
member of the Kenya Wildlife
Fund.

THE CORPORATION OF
{@ THE CITY OF NORTH VANCOUVER

1992 WATER AND SEWER
UTILITY STATEMENTS

1992 Water and Sewer Utility Statements have now been
maited. Any property owner who has not received a Water and
Sewer Utility Statement should immediately contact the City of
North Vancouver Tax Office at 983-7316.

New Owners should be aware of their responsibility for payment
of the 1992 water and sewer charges and should ensure that
they are paid by themselves or the previous owners.

Discount: A 10% discount is allowed to water and sewer rates
paid in full before or by 4:30 p.m. March 31, 1992.

Penalties: A 5% penalty will be applied to outstanding water
and sewer charges after April 30, 1992 and a further 5% penal-
ty will be added to charges remaining unpaid after July 31, 1992.

Postdated cheques will be accepted.

City of North Vancouver
141 West 14th Street
North Vancouver, BC.
V7M 1H9

A.K. Tollstam
Treasurer-Collector

petted

People under 18 can donate $5
and become a Young Friend,
Friends give $15, Members give
$20 and Life Members are those
able to donate $200.

Cheques, made payable to the
Kenya Wildlife Fund, can be sent
to P.O. Box 2445 Station B,
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4E 1AS.
Be sure to include your name and
full address.

4058 MARINE DRIVE
NORTH VANCOUVER

QUALITY
SELECTION.

OF
1058 MARINE DRIVE
North Vancouver

(beside Mark's Work
Wearhouse)

987-8611
OPER: 10am-5:30pm

Fridays
Sundays 12 noon-Spm