BANGKOK: This year, commemorative activities are arranged to demonstrate Thailand’s serious efforts in fighting illegal ivory trade and promoting at the same time the elephant conservation as the endangered national animal.
The activities are held at international airports in three provinces namely Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai and Phuket. They feature an exhibition on Thai elephants and their habitat, efforts on elephant conservation and campaigns on anti-ivory smuggling. The exhibition at each airport reportedly received great attention from Thais and foreigners.
The Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says his office has strongly been campaigning for tourists to stop buying ivory-made products and taking them back to their countries as it violates the Ivory Trading Act B.E.2558.
He advised people who possess any products made from domesticated elephant’s ivories to register their possession by Apr 22nd. So far, 2,600 people have registered their possession involving around 23 tonnes of ivory in combined weight. Information from the registration will help authorities curb the killing of elephants for ivory. The Director-General added that Thailand is to submit a comprehensive report on the control of trade in elephant ivory as well as the conservation of elephants to CITES by March 31st.
