Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has set fire to more than a hundred tonns of poached tusks from around 6,700 elephants in an effort to show the government is committed to saving elephants.
It is expected the burn may take several days as the quantity is seven times bigger than ever before.
The president has joined with foreign officials and other leaders from the continent. His move of total ban on the ivory trade in Africa has been supported by a range of conservation groups.
The 105 tonne haul represented almost the whole stock of confiscated ivory in the country that went up in flames in Nairobi national park. A huge crowd including presidents Ali Bongo of Gabon and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, politicians from around the world, business figures, conservationists and also United Nations officials.
The president said, “A time has come when we must take a stand and the stand is clear… Kenya is making a statement that, for us, ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants.”
Mass poaching for illicit ivory has led to the extinction of African elephant, the largest land mammal in the world. Its ivory is in great demand in Asian markets and a data reveals around 30,000 elephants are killed every year across Africa.
Experts say the rate of poaching could bring about extinction of the elephants within two decades.
Kenyan Wildlife Service head Kitili Mbathi said with the burning they want to send a message elephants have value and not the ivory.
