Elephant conservation news 6 February -12 February 2010
Kenya has brought its campaign against the ivory policies of its African neighbours before US Congress, as the movement to stall sales of stockpiled ivory heats up.
The Kenyan Wildlife Service's head of species conservation and management, Patrick Omondi, was dispatched this week after being invited to testify before the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife.
The hearing comes as the US government readies itself for next month's major international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference of the parties in Doha, Qatar. The conference is set to feature a showdown between those African countries - led by Kenya - that oppose relaxing the existing ban on trade in ivory, and the Tanzanian and Zambian proposal to sell their 110-tonne stockpile.
Kenya and its allies, which comprise the majority of the 23 nations in the African Elephant Coalition, hope that the conference will see the current nine-year moratorium on trade extended for 20 years - a stance adopted at a meeting of the coalition in Brussels earlier this year.
The January meeting also sought to engage the EU in the ivory debate, looking for support for Kenyan proposals. With the union containing 27 of the 175 CITES member states, it is expected that it could hold the key to success at the Doha conference.
Two weeks ago, conservation group Born Free demanded that the UK lead the EU in opposing Tanzania and Zambia, calling for Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hilary Benn to "plunge in" and prove British commitment.
Shelley Waterland, programmes manager for the charity, told elephant.co.uk that Africa's elephants are facing an "onslaught of poaching", and that respecting and extending the existing moratorium is the only way to protect them.
"For countries such as Senegal or Guinea Bissau, which have only a handful of elephants remaining, any further slaughter could mean the extinction of elephants in those countries," she added.
"The UK, US, EU, and indeed all of the 175 member countries of CITES, must take into account this overwhelming view of the African elephant-range states and support the moratorium - anything less would be, quite simply, unforgiveable."
Baby elephant makes first public appearance
Melbourne Zoo's new baby elephant has made his first public appearance.
Known only as 'Baby' for the time being, the three-week-old animal - the first born in Australia using artificial insemination - stayed close to her mother while trotting about and even enjoying a bath, according to the Daily Mail.
Described by zoo staff as "rambunctious" soon after her birth, Baby - who has since put on a hefty 28kg - has apparently been quaffing 12 to 14 litres of milk each day.
Orphan elephant dies suddenly
A young elephant who struck up a close friendship with a merino sheep has died suddenly, just as he was to be re-introduced to the wild.
Themba, who was two-and-a-half-years-old when he died, was taken in at Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa after his mother slipped from a cliff, and soon after became pals with Albert the sheep - who was donated to keep him company.
The orphan, who found fame after his touching relationship was broadcast across the world, died suddenly of a "massive torsion of the large intestine", according to South Africa's Weekend Post.
'Lumbering' elephants leg it with walk/run hybrid
Research has revealed that fast-moving elephants achieve their odd gait through a combination of 'running' with their front legs and 'walking' briskly with their rear legs.
The BBC reports that a Belgian, Italian and Thai team of researchers solved the mystery by using a special track, measuring the forces imparted by elephants to determine the technical nature of each giant step.
