Other prominent buyers include French military personnel and Spanish, Italian and French tourists, according to the report. Entitled The Ivory Markets of Africa, it is described as the first comprehensive look into the African ivory market for 11 years. Following the trade for six months through 13 African countries, the authors found some 110,000 ivory items displayed in more than 650 out lets. They concluded that more than 10 tonnes of raw ivory is being sent to key Asian markets each year from countries including Cameroon, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, much of it through diplomatic channels. The study also found that since a 1990 ivory trade freeze, prices have fallen and there has been a marked drop in demand in virtually all African cities.
Many ivory vendors see little future in the trade, it claims.
Accord ing to Martin, retail sales have fallen by at least 50 per cent across the continent, and as much as 95 per cent in some areas. Save the Elephants founder Dr Ian Douglas Hamilton says this drop in prices shows the ivory trade ban has been largely successful. For 10 years elephants in Kenya and other East and Central African countries have enjoyed a much lower rate of poaching. Despite a one-off sale of Zimbabwean ivory to Japan last year, the UN has maintained its ban on ivory trading. Kenya, which has been flooded with guns from conflicts along its borders over the past 10 years, wants the ban maintained.