THE number of African elephants has dropped by about 111,000 in the past decade, a new report released Saturday at the Johannesburg conference on the wildlife trade said, blaming the plummeting figures on poaching.The revelation, the worst drop in 25 years, came amid disagreement on the second day of the global meeting over the best way to improve the plight of Africa’s elephants, targeted for their tusks.With Namibia and Zimbabwe, wanting to be allowed to sell ivory stockpiles accrued from natural deaths to fund community elephant conservation initiatives, Zimbabwe’s Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri rejected the "imperialistic policies" of opposing countries, branding them a "clear infringement on the sovereign rights of nations".Both Namibia and Zimbabwe boast healthy elephant populations and SA supports their desire to sell the stockpiles."We need to be considerate as we make these decisions," Muchinguri told a news conference."Cites [Convention on International Trade in End...
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