How safe are the ivory, rhino horn stockpiles in EA vaults?

Conservationists fear that elephant tusks and rhino horns stored in strong rooms and other protected areas in some African countries could be finding their way into the black market, which could complicate the war against poaching.

The worry comes in the wake of a new study by the Save The Elephants organisation, which shows that prices for illegal ivory have increased tenfold in the recent past.

In China, for example, the organisation says the retail prices have increased 13 times between 2002 and 2014 in Beijing shops. The demand, the report adds, is driven by wealthy Chinese buying more carvings made from ivory and whole elephant tusks as status symbol.

The theft of more than a tonne of ivory from the vaults of Uganda’s wildlife protection agency has left conservationists concerned about the safety of seized ivory in elephant range states.

Officials carrying out a routine check at the agency found more than 1,335 kilogrammes of ivory stockpile valued at over $1 million missing, a pointer to an inside job. This led to the suspension of Uganda Wildlife Authority’s executive director Andrew Seguya.

Most of the ivory seized in the country originates locally and from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Poaching is rampant in DRC due to the war between the government and rebels, in addition to the weak wildlife regulations.

Elephant and rhino populations have continued to decline in Africa and environmentalists worry that corrupt government officials might be tempted with the attractive prices to steal stockpiles held in strong rooms and sell them in the black market.

“We do not understand why Kenya and other African governments continue to keep stockpiles of ivory. The move only increases the temptation among some security officers and other officials to sell, given the growing demand in Asia,” says Paula Kahumbu, the chief executive officer of WildlifeDirect Kenya, a conservation organisation.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a UK-based conservation agency, accused Tanzanian officials of helping VIPs in a Chinese delegation to buy and ship out a massive consignment of ivory during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tanzania in March, 2013.

Though both the Chinese and Tanzania authorities dismissed the claims as a fabrication of desperate conservationists out to tarnish the reputation of the two countries, some environmental organisations argue that part of the ivory shipped out was stolen from stockpiles held by the East African country.

In Kenya, in 2013, unconfirmed amounts of ivory was stolen from State House, Mombasa, one of the most guarded government facilities in the country under unclear circumstances.

At first only three pieces of ivory were believed to have disappeared but further investigations revealed more were missing. Some of the lost trophies were believed to be part of a consignment intercepted at the port of Mombasa the same year.

“Most of the ivory and rhino horns seized are contraband and hence should be destroyed the way seized consignments of cocaine, heroin and marijuana are normally dealt with. Given our weak security system there is always a risk of the animal products being stolen and sold in the black market,” James Kiyangah, a conservationist working with communities in Kenya’s Rift Valley and Coast to promote ecotourism, concurs with Dr Kahumbu’s sentiments.