Ivory Wars - Out of Africa, Thursday 12th April, 2011, 9pm BBC One
Undercover in China
With wildlife crime now thought to be second only to drugs in terms of profit, Rageh Omaar goes on the trail of the ivory poachers, smugglers and organised crime syndicates to investigate the plight of Africa's elephants. In 1979 there were an estimated 1.3 million African elephants. Today, only 470,000 remain; some authorities estimate the number to be considerably lower.
With wildlife crime now thought to be second only to drugs in terms of profit, Rageh Omaar goes on the trail of the ivory poachers, smugglers and organised crime syndicates to investigate the plight of Africa's elephants. In 1979 there were an estimated 1.3 million African elephants. Today, only 470,000 remain; some authorities estimate the number to be considerably lower.
As demand for ivory rises in the Far East, this Panorama special - made jointly with the BBC's Natural History Unit - goes undercover in central Africa and China. With access to Interpol's largest ever ivory operation, undercover reporters confront the dealers directly.
Last year saw the seizure of the highest volume of ivory for over two decades. Despite a 23 year global ban on its international sale an estimated 38,000 elephants are killed annually to supply the ivory trade - most of which is in China. If this rate were to continue, elephants could be gone from most of their former range in less than 15 years. One area of northern Kenya has lost a quarter of its elephants in the last three years alone.
"The destinations of all contraband ivory are always neighbouring countries around China" - Julius Kipng'etich, Kenya Wildlife Service
Last year saw the seizure of the highest volume of ivory for over two decades. Despite a 23 year global ban on its international sale an estimated 38,000 elephants are killed annually to supply the ivory trade - most of which is in China. If this rate were to continue, elephants could be gone from most of their former range in less than 15 years. One area of northern Kenya has lost a quarter of its elephants in the last three years alone.
"The destinations of all contraband ivory are always neighbouring countries around China" - Julius Kipng'etich, Kenya Wildlife Service
Whilst filming in China an undercover reporter soon attracted the attention of sellers and was offered a piece of ivory 1.5m long for $10,000 (£6,000). A kilogramme of ivory sells for as much as $1,500 in the Far East. On the ground in Kenya it sells for 3,000 Kenya shillings ($40). Even a small pair of 10-kg tusks would bring a poacher the equivalent of $400, more than casual workers earn in a year. A big bull carrying 100 kg of ivory would bring a fortune. The incentive is considerable. Source: The Elephant Trust
"We've been in the market in Kinshasa where we've estimated the ivory from more than 200 elephants has been on the tables for sale on a single day" "These markets are patronised by ex-pat communities and Chinese business" - Tom Milliken, who monitors and campaigns against the illegal trade in ivory
In Nature's Miracle Babies (september 2011), Martin Hughes-Games visited a sanctuary for elephants left orphaned by poaching.
