Since 1989, when the then-president burned 12 tonnes of the sought-after substance and the national Wildlife Service (KWS) was formed, Kenya has been one of the staunchest opponents of the ivory trade.

Despite having only the fourth largest elephant population (numbered at 35,000), it has one of the best anti-poaching units, as noted by assistant director of the KWS, Patrick Omondi.

Kenya, along with Mali, was one of two members of the 21-strong African Elephant Coalition (AEC) proposing a 20-year suspension on the ivory trade during meetings held in 2007 as part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The concern is that the legal ivory trade is linked to flare-ups in poaching and ivory laundering, as evidenced after the experimental sale of ivory stockpiles by various countries in 1997 and 2007, respectively.

Currently, Tanzania and Zambia have petitioned CITES to allow for the selling of ivory stockpiles, a move which Kenya (along with Rwanda) oppose and plan to contest over meetings in Doha, Qatar this March.

Mr Omondi and the AEC have criticised the secretariat of CITES for being sympathetic to the petition and not prioritising the protection of elephant populations.

Thanks to conservation policies, cooperative agreements and an upgrade in law enforcement, Kenya has seen a surge in its elephant population, which stood at a mere 16,000 in 1989.

Kenya believes that in order to ensure the protection of this iconic and complex species, more countries must subscribe to a similar agenda.

By Nuria Haering

ADOPT AN ELEPHANT WITH WWF