Sri Lanka has decided to destroy its ivory reserves and is the first country in the world to formally apologize for the illegal trade.
Lo Sri Lanka has decided to destroy its own reserves of ivory and it is the first country in the world to formally apologize for the illegal trade.
The Buddhist monk Omalpe Sobitha Thero He admitted and elephants were victims of the cruelty of some people and that all of human society is still responsible: "We have destroyed innocent lives to get fangs and now we must ask for forgiveness".
The Sri Lankan ivory reserve amounts to 359 elephant tusks with a total weight of 1,5 tons. The estimated value is $ 3 million. The tusks were seized by customs in May 2012 during a trip from Kenya to Dubai.
The tusks were supposed to be donated to the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple, but the Sri Lankan government changed their plans. It was feared that the tusks would re-enter the market if the government handed them over to third parties, but in doing so would violate the Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Sri Lanka joins the Philippines, the United States, China, France, Chad, Belgium, Hong Kong, Kenya, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Thailand, which have destroyed their ivory reserves in the past four years .
Fonte foto: National Geographic
In Sri Lanka, the first destruction of confiscated ivory in South Asia took place, and it is the first time that such an event has included a religious ceremony to honor the elephants who were killed, which makes it a truly unique and extraordinary event.
Photo source: Cites
The ceremony took place according to a Buddhist rite which is usually dedicated to deceased relatives so that they can find themselves in better conditions in the next life. Buddhists believe in reincarnation also for animals and in Sri Lanka they have decided to dedicate a religious ceremony to elephants as a sign of respect and in the hope that the ivory hunt will stop.
Marta Albè
Fonte foto: National Geographic
Read also:
MASSACRE OF ELEPHANTS IN AFRICA: IVORY SOLD FOR BULLETS
CITES: DECISIONS ON THE TRADE OF IVORY, SHARKS AND PRECIOUS WOODS
STOP THE TRADE IN IVORY. THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THAILAND TO CITES
