The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority says it will soon run out of space to store ivory as the stocks for the commodity continue to swell up from 60 tonnes in 2014 to 93.5 tonnes this year.
Calls for Zimbabwe to sell its ivory stocks to the international market are increasing as the country’s ivory stocks continue pilling up.
A media tour of the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority ivory stores this Thursday in Harare, revealed that the authority will soon run out of space to store ivory stocks.
The parks manager in charge of ivory stores Mrs Mercy Chikwanha says the security systems and storage of ivory is tight and that sales are only done to registered dealers in accordance with CITES international regulations.
As the world prepares to attend the CITES convention in South Africa, western countries backed by a few African countries are calling for SADC countries including Zimbabwe to burn their ivory stocks in the name of conservation and animal protection.
Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Director General Mr Edson Chidziya says Zimbabwe does not believe in burning its resources but selling to raise money for sustainable conservation.
On the African elephant proposal for CITES, some Asian and, western countries want to see elephant and other products being banned from international trade while Zimbabwe wants to continue trading in elephant and elephant products such as hides and ivory for the benefit of its citizen.-ZBC
