The appetite for Kenyan wildlife trophies is exposing the animals to more threats as South East Asian country Laos is the fastest growing ivory market in the world.
According to a new report released yesterday by a local NGO Save the Elephants, at Sarova Panafric Hotel, Chinese are now buying over 80 percent of ivory in Laos. The retail prices are lower than in China.
The report, ‘The ivory trade of Laos: Now the fastest growing in the world”, says that most of the raw ivory comes from Africa by ship in containers destined for Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
“Until recently, 90 percent of large consignment would be moved directly to China, but nowdays much of the ivory is being diverted to Vientiane,” the 88-page report says.
Researchers Lucy Vigne and Esmond Martin did a survey in mid November to December 2016. They collected data on the origin of ivory and trade routes into Laos.
According to the researchers, the average wholesale price of raw ivory in Laos in 2013 had peaked to about $2,000 per kilogramme (Sh206,680 ). But by late 2016,the average price had declined to $714 (Sh73,784.76 ) per kilogramme.
The authors found 81 retail outlets with ivory on sale, 40 of which were in the capital Vientiane.
The least expensive item was $ 3 (Sh310 ) and the most expensive was a pair of polished tusks for $ 25,000(Sh2,583,500 ).
In Vientiane and LuangPrabang Chinese – owned shops had increased from three in 2013 to 35 in 2016.
Save the Elephants founder Iain Douglas Hamilton described the report as alarming.