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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