The British government warned on Monday (February 18th) that money from elephant poaching in Kenya may be funding terrorism and criminal activity should not be treated as isolated incidents, Kenya's Daily Nation reported.
Speaking at a conference for wildlife conservation organisations in Nairobi, British Minister for Natural Resources Richard Benyon called poaching an international crisis, urging immediate, co-ordinated action.
Benyon said he will urge the international community to take strict measures on poaching during the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting in Bangkok in early March. "We will seek ways of securing better protection for species that are subject to unsustainable levels of trade and to combat illegal trade more effectively," he said.
He also called on China and other countries to which ivory is smuggled to take a more active role to end the illegal trade.
Permanent Secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Environment Ali Mohamed said an estimated 1,000 elephants have been killed in the past three years, warning that Kenya's ecosystem may suffer if steps are not taken to curb poaching.
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