Kenya’s elephant population has doubled in the last three decades, in part due to a crackdown on poachers and ivory smugglers, authorities announced at an event marking World Elephant Day Wednesday. Between 1989 and 2019, Kenya’s population of African elephants grew from about 16,000 to more than 34,000, according to John Waweru, director of Kenya’s Wildlife Service. It spiked between 2011 and 2014, and estimates for the entire African elephant population dipped below 420,000, according to authorities. That's down from an estimated 10 million in 1930, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Their tusks for years have been considered trophies for their ivory, which is used for ornamental carvings and jewelry.

Source: Fox News August 14, 2020 01:52 UTC