The Annihilation of the African Elephant by Alan Lipa

It is the year 2042 where eleven year old Ruth is sitting in her father’s study, watching her father, Jim, with great interest preparing his work assignment for the next day. Ruth quizzically with a stare of interrogation says to her father, “Daddy, what does and African Elephant look like?”  Jim with poignant eyes looks intently at his daughter and enquires as to the reason of such a question.

She says, “We are learning about animals that have ceased to exist such as the Mauritian Dodo bird and the African Elephant”. Jim immediately touches the ‘instanet’ screen; the 2042 3D technological adaptation of the internet where all images exhibit in holographic format. Mouths out aloud the words, “African Elephant” magically; captivatingly and miraculously a morphed hologram of the African Elephant appears directly in the center of Jim’s study.

Jim stares absorbedly at his daughter then back to the elephant hologram and says sorrowfully, “It is so sad because of human greed, corruption, inducement and authoritarian short sightedness, this is the only way you will ever see an African Elephant!!! By hologram!!! As this incredible animal does not exist anymore and never will they ever roam the African Plains, African Forestation and African Bush as in the great herds of 2012?

The AFRICAN ELEPHANT IS GONE AND GONE FOREVER”?

Inquiringly Ruth asks, “Why, what happened to the African Elephant”? Jim inquisitively runs his hand over the hologram format and answers, “It all started in the year 1990 when a world organization called CITES announced that a global Elephant ivory ban would be imposed, and no one would be allowed to trade in ivory”. Ruth interrupts, “what is ivory and what is CITES”? Jim answers without any reflection or hesitation, “All animals with teeth have ivory, which is composed of a creamy white substance called dentin that makes up the bulk of teeth. However, some animals have particularly large teeth or tusks that lend themselves to harvesting, such as elephants, hippopotami, and whales.

Ivory from these animals had been used for centuries in decorative art, religious art fax, religious statuettes and icons and in the manufacture of objects such as piano keys and billiard balls. Concerns about declining populations of elephants in particular had led to restrictions through CITES on the global trade, and many honest and decent craftspeople started to seek out alternatives such as high quality plastics or tagua, also known as vegetable ivory.

The term ‘ivory’ has been used in English for almost 1,000 years; the word "elephant" has its origins in the Greek ἐλέφας, meaning ‘ivory’ or ‘elephant’. This suggests that elephants have been the primary source of ivory throughout history.” Jim added.”CITES was the then Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and was also an international agreement between governments. Its aim was to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants did not threaten their survival.

CITES worked by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-exports and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention had to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention had to designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species, i.e. the trade in ivory related to the future existence of the elephant.

In 1989, after ten years during which at least one elephant died every ten minutes, President George H. W. Bush unilaterally banned ivory imports into the US, Kenya in support burned its 13 tons of ivory stocks, and CITES announced the advent of the global ivory ban, which began in 1990.

Sadly, not all countries agreed or approved the ban. Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Malawi entered “reservations,” exempting them from the ban on the grounds that their elephant populations were healthy enough to support trade.

By listening to the illogical and irrational ramblings and urgings of the then Zimbabwean President Robert  Mugabe enunciating that elephants took up a so much space and drank huge amounts of water. The elephants by default would have to pay for their room and board in Zimbabwe with their ivory.  

Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia then made CITES an offer: They would honor the ivory ban if they were allowed to sell ivory from elephants that had been culled or had died of natural causes.

CITES agreed to a compromise, authorizing a one-time-only “experimental sale” by the three countries to a single purchaser, Japan.

In 1999 fifty five tons of ivory was sold to Japan.

Through their narrow sighted thinking and inability of any long term planning, by CITES agreeing to this inimitable experimental sale of ivory had without question become the major protagonist leading to the beginning of the death knell of the elephant as man knew it in 2012. For a science based organization and so-called protectors of wild fauna and flora, CITES has single handedly opened the back door for the wholesale unlawful slaying of the elephant.

CITES officials refused to issue formal estimate of the elephants killed, slaughter or eradicated per annum, reports of international NGOs, whose undercover investigators surreptitiously exposed an increase in illegal ivory trade after the Japan sale. Since CITEShad problems calculating and quantifying the amount and assessment of elephant poaching, by rights and decree should have declared the Japan experiment inconclusive, full of loopholes or even a failure.

This is just what China needed to promote ivory trade a conclusive or categorical failure by CITES, giving China the vehicle to manipulate CITES. In a 2002 report China warnedCITES that a main reason for China’s growing ivory-smuggling problem was the Japan experiment: China purposely misled the Chinese people into believing the international trade in ivory has been resumed. Chinese consumers thought it was acceptable and legitimate to buy ivory again.

This crisis mushroomed and was expanded by China’s nouveaux rich, or bao fa hu (the ‘suddenly wealthy’). The main consumers being middle-aged men showing that they had made it into China’s new middle class and were eager to flaunt or show off their ability in making expensive limitless purchases. Magnificent ivory carvings were traditional symbols of wealth and status.

In July 2008 CITES endorsed and sanctioned China’s request to procure ivory, a decision supported by Traffic and WWF. Member countries agreed, and that fall Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe held ivory tusk auctions where they jointly sold more than 118 tons of ivory to Chinese and Japanese traders this represented over 10,000 dead elephants.

After the immeasurable elephanticide of the 1970s and 1980s, Africa’s elephant population was reduced from an estimated 1.3 million to some 690,000 in 2012. From the plains of the African continent to the bush veldt, in 37 range states, starting in Mali to South Africa, Ethiopia to Gabon, elephants were slaughtered at the rate of more than 100 a day, in excess of 36,500 a year, ivory was smuggled to Asia, mainly China.

This inexcusable situation had to be blamed on CITES whose clouded, appalling and foolish judgment was made, lacking the data to evaluate the impact of its first ivory sale. CITES blindly endorsed this second sale, which set off the starters gun initiating the absolute demise of the African Elephant. This decision by CITES stimulated and enthused the then growing illegal or blood ivory market. Through decisions made by certain incompetents, we now are in the year 2042, where sadly the only African Elephant to be seen is through the holograms of the ‘instanet’”.

Eleven year old Ruth looks at her father in absolute disbelief and says, “What happened to CITES”? Jim slowly stands up as though ready to leave his study, and remarks, “Because of incompetence, ineptitude and lack of ability, CITES is a name that every now and then appears in the history ‘instanet’ but is long gone as an organization, and the association that has replaced CITES has made sure due to historical animal tragedies, the protection of our wild fauna and flora will always remain in place and the genocide that wiped out the African Elephant population will never be repeated”.

Books by Alan Lipa include ‘Beauty of the Wild, ‘The Day After’ and ‘The Spirit of Charleston’