NANYUKI, KENYA—
More than 200 people, including three African presidents, attended the opening of a three-day summit Friday near Mount Kenya, where activists and officials have gathered to discuss the future of Africa’s elephants and their habitats.
Poaching has escalated to alarming heights in recent years, as 100,000 African elephants were killed between 2010 and 2012 alone. Tens of thousands continue to be poached every year across the continent.
The goal of the event is to find ways to stop the slaughter of Africa’s elephants, protecting at least 50 percent of these animals and their landscapes by 2020.
And to do so, conservationists say that government leaders must flex their political muscle in support of the cause.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the opening address, urging Africans to understand that elephants are a part of their heritage.
“The protection of giants therefore requires the combined wisdom of our elders, as well as the hope of our youth,” said Kenyatta. “We have not abandoned our legacy and will not abandon our legacy to the whims of the market, but rather, today we begin taking bold steps, indeed giant steps, which...will merit the praise of our ancestors and which will inspire our own youth to recognize the intrinsic value of our national heritage.”
More than 200 people, including some presidents of African countries, attended the first day of Giants Club Summit talks at Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki, Kenya, April 29, 2016. (J. Craig/VOA)
Kenyatta’s attendance, along with that of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, makes the event the highest level summit of its kind.
These leaders, along with Botswana's President Ian Khama, elephant protection charity Space for Giants, and publishing magnate Evgeny Lebedev, founded the Giants Club to unite in the protection of the African elephant.
Panelists Friday covered issues like the importance of properly training and motivating wildlife rangers, building a strong judiciary, and getting communities on board with conservation efforts.
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