africatodayonline.blogspot.com -
NAIROBI (AFP) - The price of ivory taken from African elephants slaughtered for their tusks has tripled in the past four years in China, the world's biggest market, conservationists said on Thursday.
"The surge in the price of ivory is driving a wave of killing of elephants across Africa that shows little sign of abating," campaign group Save the Elephants said in a new report.
"With the ivory price in Africa a tenth of that reached in China, substantial profits are being generated for organised crime that fuels insecurity, corruption, and deprives local communities of valuable income."
Researchers from the Kenyan-based group studying ivory sales in China said prices had risen for raw ivory from US$750 (S$935) in 2010 to US$2,100 in 2014.
