Ivory trade still thriving, says expert

Those who thought that elephant population in India, especially in south India or Karnataka, was safe may have to think again. Karnataka incidentally is home to the highest number of the gentle giants in the country.

There are around eight people globally who control the ivory poaching market and trade. Also, most calls demanding ivory from India are made from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, said Vivek Menon, executive director and chief executive officer of Wildlife Trust of India, on Sunday.

He was speaking at a talk on ‘Elephants and Ivory: Do you worry?’ This was part of the panel discussion on ‘Elephant poaching and ivory trade: Are we in Ivory War? It was organised by Friends of Elephants, a elephant conservation group, members of IISc and Namma Metro Foundation.

He said that elephants were not safe. The demand for ivory and poaching has revived and it is the same as 20 years ago, Menon said. The only difference is that technology has improved and demand from Japan has now shifted to China.