14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier today, the World Wildlife Fund has made it public news that, from where they stand, Thailand must be held responsible for the fact that countless African elephants are killed by poachers on a regular basis.
Therefore, the country has the responsibility to take immediate measures and help protect these endangered species.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) maintains that, as some of their most recent investigations have shown, Thailand is presently fueling the elephant poaching crisis as a result of its not curbing the practice of laundering massive amounts of ivory and numerous tusks through shops set up nationwide.
What the WWF means is that, despite the fact that Thailand's ongoing legislation does now allow its residents to market ivory and tusks coming from African elephants, it does make it possible for people to sell and buy body parts supposedly coming from domestic Thai elephants.
As explained on the official website for this organization, “Criminal networks are exploiting this legal loophole and flooding Thai shops with blood ivory from Africa.”
This green-oriented group is quite hopeful that, thanks to an online global petition it has launched, the country's Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, will eventually be left with no choice except ban all ivory trading activities across the country.
“Existing laws are not effective at keeping illegal African ivory out of the Thai market. The only way to prevent Thailand from contributing to elephant poaching is to ban all ivory sales,” stated one of the conservationists presently working with WWF-Thailand.
“Today the biggest victims are African elephants, but Thailand’s elephants could be next. Ms Shinawatra can help put an end to the killing, and I believe Thai citizens will support greater protection for these iconic animals,” Janpai Ongsiriwittaya went on to add.
Those wishing to sign the petition and help protect African elephants can do so here.