Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on world leaders to stop the epic slaughter of African elephants, a wildlife crisis that could lead to the extinction of the Sub-Saharan species. CBS News went to Kenya last week, where every year 25,000 elephants are being killed by poachers. Their tusks are sold for thousands of dollars, often to wealthy Chinese customers who prize ornate ivory carvings.
“Our goal is to inform more people about this global conservation crisis,” Clinton said in a video address. “Attacks on elephants and rhinos are multiplying at an alarming rate.”
In this photo taken on Monday, Sept. 5, 2011, Malaysian customs officers inspect elephant tusks which had been seized on Sept. 2, in Port Klang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian authorities have confiscated some 700 African elephant tusks worth about 3 million ringgit ($1 million) destined for China, the third seizure of illegal ivory since July. (AP Photo)
The State Department also declared Tuesday “Wildlife Conservation Day.” Clinton instructed U.S. diplomats all over the world to raise awareness about the trafficking of wild animals.
African gangs, some with links to organized crime, hunt the animals in order to make a fortune from selling tusks to merchants.
