Kenya calls for halt to SA's sale of ivory

By Helen Nyambura

Kenya wants a planned one-off sale of ivory stocks granted to three southern African countries to be halted because the countries have not met the necessary conditions, a minister said yesterday.

In 2002, the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) gave the green light for South Africa, Namibia and Botswana to each make a one-off sale of their ivory stockpiles by May this year.

Cites requires that governments set up systems to monitor illegal killing of elephants, register their stocks, and establish national legislation and domestic controls before they can sell their stocks.

Kenya said the countries had not yet met all these conditions.

Ivory trade was prohibited worldwide in 1989 after the African elephant population was halved to 600 000 in just over a decade. Kenya says the ban has saved the elephant population across the continent from further decimation.

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I guess the next-best time is right now.