An international animal welfare body Wednesday intensified its campaign for a 20-year moratorium on trade in ivory ahead of a crucial meeting on the issue next month.
The Convention on the International Trade in Endagered Species (CITES)
in The Hague in June is to vote on rules on the trade of elephants, whales,
tigers and sharks.
“At the meeting we will work to improve the enforcement of regulation on import and export of ivory and other animal products,” International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) director in Southern Africa, Jason Bell, told  journalists in Johannesburg.
Bell said Kenya and Mali had already submitted to the UN-backed conven-tion proposals for a moratorium on all trade in raw or worked ivory, except for non-commercial hunting trophies.
Ghana, Togo and 14 other Africa countries are in support of the moratorium which they said could discourage elephant poaching and illegal trade in ivory and other animal products.
But Botswana and Namibia have submitted a contrary proposal that would allow unlimited commercial trading in raw ivory for themselves, South Africa and Zimbabwe, said Bell.
The IFAW director also condemned the sale and purchase of thousands of animals and wildlife products made from endangered species.
An IFAW document said more than 30,000 whales had been killed for commercial purposes since a ban on whaling came into force in 1986.
The organisation accused China, Japan and Phillipines of encouraging illegal trade in whale and tiger products.
A proposal by Japan to remove some species from the moratorium on whaling “is to pave the way for illegal trading in whales,” Bell said.
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