One man’s fight against Africa’s ivory poachers

Black ivory: Illegally imported ivory products confiscated by Yunnan police in Kunming, south-west Chinas Yunnan province. Chinese diplomatic and military staff went on buying sprees for illegal ivory while on official visits to East Africa, an environmental activist group said last month. - AFP

Conservationist Richard Bonham’s 40-year campaign to protect Africa’s wildlife has led him from Kenya’s savannah to trinket shops in Hong Kong. To stop the slaughter, he says, action must be taken at both ends of the supply chain.

MOST tourists who walk into Hong Kong’s many licensed ivory stores and carving factories, browse the displays of statues, pendants and jewellery and accept the official assurances that it all comes from sustainable sources.