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2018-08-26 -Lurid Crime Tales-

Meet an ivory trafficker's 'worst nightmare'

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Posted by Besoeker 2018-08-26 07:41|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 Animals and animal parts are the third most smuggled items (after drugs and cash). The reason is because we have created a huge black market - and thus huge profits - by banning their legal trade.

Elephant ivory is a great example. Zoos have too many bull elephants. You don't need very many for breeding programs. They need a lot of space (they must be kept separately from each other or they'll fight) and are expensive to feed. Those problems could be solved by buying up a couple hundred square miles of Kansas and letting them roam free. Fun for the tourists. No poachers. No cages. Pay for it all by humanely harvesting the ivory. Also, by creating a legal market you take pressure off wild populations. No point poaching if there isn't much profit.

Except that you can't, because sale of the ivory is banned, even from captive bred animals. So instead zoos are euthanizing the animals and poor African countries are using scarce resources to engage in gun battles with well armed and financed poachers. What a mess.

Posted by Iblis 2018-08-26 11:01|| 2018-08-26 11:01|| Front Page Top

#2 Similar to raising Rhino horns in South Africa - the 'farmer' is being sued because such sales are illegal.

Helping in the un-progressive way is to be punished.

Posted by Bobby 2018-08-26 11:54|| 2018-08-26 11:54|| Front Page Top

#3 Can't have elephants roaming Kansas. Too much risk they'll join the other side when the fithp invade.

Posted by Rob Crawford 2018-08-26 12:41|| 2018-08-26 12:41|| Front Page Top

#4 Elephonkeys from KS?

Posted by Skidmark 2018-08-26 15:23|| 2018-08-26 15:23|| Front Page Top

#5 It's 104 here in kansas today.

Posted by Bman 2018-08-26 16:39|| 2018-08-26 16:39|| Front Page Top

#6 #3: Your comment brought the whole book back to me in an instant. Good man!

Posted by Canuckistan sniper 2018-08-26 17:27|| 2018-08-26 17:27|| Front Page Top

#7 If you have elephants, you'll need lions or such to keep the population in check. Remember what happened in Australia with the rabbits?

Posted by SteveS 2018-08-26 17:28|| 2018-08-26 17:28|| Front Page Top

#8 Remember what happened in Australia with the rabbits?

They grew really big?

Posted by Skidmark 2018-08-26 18:16|| 2018-08-26 18:16|| Front Page Top

#9 I like the similar story of using trackers on zebra. When poachers show up the Rhinos aren't afraid so they are easy targets but the zebras scatter. The rangers no use the zebras to know when poachers are about. Took them to long to figure it out but I'm glad they did.

Posted by ruprecht 2018-08-26 23:37|| 2018-08-26 23:37|| Front Page Top

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