President Uhuru Kenyatta will preside over the destruction of the World's largest illegal ivory stockpile. The event will be held in Nairobi on the last day of April 2016. Two more African Presidents, Omar Bongo of Gabon and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, will join the Kenyan President.
Here are some facts about the event:
1. More than 16,000 pieces of Ivory will go up in flames. This represents at least 8,000 elephants that were killed illegally. The ivory weighs about 105 tons.
2.Rhino horn from at least 340 Rhinos will also be burned together with the ivory. The Rhino horn alone weighs about 1.3 tons.
3.The Ivory and Rhino horn has been grouped into 11 pyres or stacks
4. 10,000 liters of fuel will be used for the exercise.
5. Ten tons of firewood will be used to keep the ivory burning until it disintegrates completely.
6. The Ivory is estimated to take not less than four hours to burn to ashes.
7. Only 70% of the Ivory being burned can be attributed to Elephants killed in Kenya. The other 30% is Ivory that was caught by Kenyan authorities while on transit from other countries.
8. The approximate market value of the Ivory being burned is Khs 3 billion.
9. Kenya has a stockpile of about 137 tons of Ivory. The balance of 32 tons will not be destroyed because part of it is being used as exhibit in ongoing court cases. The government of Kenya will also keep a few tusks for display in Museums and for other educational purposes.
10. The largest destruction of Ivory stockpiles until now was conducted in Hong-Kong in 2014 where 28 tons were destroyed.
11. The first public destruction of Ivory was carried out in Kenya in 1989. The then President, Daniel Moi, led in the burning of 12 tons of Ivory.
12. Since 1989 about 130 tons of ivory have been burned in 14 countries across the globe. The burning of 105 tons by President Kenyatta will be the fifth time Kenya is carrying out the exercise and will bring the cumulative weight of Ivory burned in the country to approximately 145 tons.
Here are some facts about the event:
1. More than 16,000 pieces of Ivory will go up in flames. This represents at least 8,000 elephants that were killed illegally. The ivory weighs about 105 tons.
2.Rhino horn from at least 340 Rhinos will also be burned together with the ivory. The Rhino horn alone weighs about 1.3 tons.
3.The Ivory and Rhino horn has been grouped into 11 pyres or stacks
4. 10,000 liters of fuel will be used for the exercise.
5. Ten tons of firewood will be used to keep the ivory burning until it disintegrates completely.
6. The Ivory is estimated to take not less than four hours to burn to ashes.
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| Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare Animal Rescue Ivory burning in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo in April 2015. |
8. The approximate market value of the Ivory being burned is Khs 3 billion.
9. Kenya has a stockpile of about 137 tons of Ivory. The balance of 32 tons will not be destroyed because part of it is being used as exhibit in ongoing court cases. The government of Kenya will also keep a few tusks for display in Museums and for other educational purposes.
10. The largest destruction of Ivory stockpiles until now was conducted in Hong-Kong in 2014 where 28 tons were destroyed.
11. The first public destruction of Ivory was carried out in Kenya in 1989. The then President, Daniel Moi, led in the burning of 12 tons of Ivory.
12. Since 1989 about 130 tons of ivory have been burned in 14 countries across the globe. The burning of 105 tons by President Kenyatta will be the fifth time Kenya is carrying out the exercise and will bring the cumulative weight of Ivory burned in the country to approximately 145 tons.
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