|
Satao (c. 1968 – 30 May 2014) was one of Kenya's largest African elephants. He was known as a ''tusker'' because his tusks were so long that they almost touched the ground. The Tsavo Trust announced that Satao was killed by poachers using a poisoned arrow on 30 May 2014. ==Background== Satao was an African elephant that lived in Tsavo East National Park, one of the largest wildlife parks in the world with a large population of elephants. He was thought to have been born during the late 1960s and to have been at least 45 years old when he was killed. He was estimated to be one of the largest elephants in the world at the time of his death and has been described as one of Kenya's most iconic and well-known tuskers (i.e., male elephants with tusks that almost reach the ground). Satao's tusks were over long and he was estimated to be the largest of the few remaining tuskers living in Kenya.〔〔〔〔〔 It is believed that all of the remaining tuskers are in Kenya.〔 Elephant ivory poaching is a huge problem in Africa. In 2013, over 20,000 African elephants were slaughtered for their ivory. The slaughter of African elephants is driven by the black market value of elephant ivory. The illicit trade in ivory is primarily in Asia where ivory sells for several thousands of dollars per kilo. Satao tusks were estimated to weigh more than each.〔〔〔〔〔 Since 2007, the illegal trade in ivory had doubled. While China is the largest market, the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are also top markets for illegal ivory. The increase in poaching is driven in large part by organised crime and rebel groups seeking ways to fund insurgencies in Africa.〔 Due to the great value of his tusks on the black market, Satao had been under nearly constant surveillance by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Tsavo trust for the 18 months prior to June 2014. He typically remained in a small area of the park, but recently, he started roaming into areas of the park where poaching was high.〔 Because he roamed into a large ,〔 a dangerous area for poaching with thick vegetation, and because of the constant poaching attempts driven by organised crime and rebel militias, the KWS and the Tsavo Trust could not prevent poachers from reaching Satao.〔 〕〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Satao (elephant)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|