Ivory poaching hits record levels

3 Jun 2013 02:23 PM

A new drive to help save the elephant has been launched yesterday by the government, in the wake of the highest levels of ivory poaching since records began.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) estimates that in 2011 at least 17,000 elephants have been killed illegally in Africa alone but the real figure may be much higher.

At the same time a YouGov poll commissioned by Defra shows that more than a third of UK consumers are still unaware that parts of elephants (and other endangered species) are popular ingredients in traditional alternative medicines.

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