Earth by numbers
Wildlife crimeWildlife crime is organised by powerful syndicates around the world and takes place on
an industrial scale.The $20bn (£16bn) or so raised each year from the sale of tusks and
ivory horn often funds other criminal activities. But anti-poaching rangers are determined- for many, protecting animals is more than a job, it’s about safeguarding their heritage
96%
Decline in the black rhino population
between 1970 and 1993. Conservation
has since helped boost numbers.The number of elephants killed per year in
the 1980s. Some regions lost up to 80 per
cent of their herds.100,000
Proportion of tusks seized from ivory
shipments that belonged to elephants
that had died in the previous three years- revealing the trade is fuelled almost
exclusively by recently killed animals.
90%
Suspects arrested and
prosecuted in Kenya in
2013 for poaching.1,549
Total seizures of bears or
illegal bear consignments
across Asian borders
between 2000 and 2011.694
Amount that elephant poaching costs
African economies per year in lost
tourism revenue.£20m
Ratio of dead to live
elephants seen during
2016’s Great Elephant
Census. A ratio above
eight per cent shows
animals are dying faster
than they’re being born.12%
Words: Yashi Banymadhub, Carolyn Fry. Photographs: iStock