Ivory bids fall on poaching fears
Friday, March 26, 2010
The countries asked the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting to permit one-off sales from government stockpiles. The ivory trade was banned in 1989, but two sales have since been granted to nations showing effective conservation. Kenya withdrew a bid to ban sales for 20 years, after finding little support. Most conservation groups were delighted that the Tanzanian and Zambian bids were turned down.
"This is a real victory for elephants," said Jason Bell-Leask, director of Southern African operations with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...