Unreported World ~ End of the Elephant. 2010 03 26 Ch 4

Unreported World ~ End of the Elephant. 2010 03 26 Ch 4


File Name .............: Unreported World S19E01 - End of the Elephant (26 March 2010)

195.55 MB/ 24:15/ XviD


Reporter Aidan Hartley and director Alex Nott go undercover to investigate how the increased Chinese presence in East Africa has lead to a huge increase in elephant poaching, with potentially devastating effects on tourism and the local economy.

In Nairobi the team are granted rare access to an underground floor normally off-limits. What they see has rarely been shown on camera: a mountain of ivory in two strong rooms - 65 to 70 tonnes, worth millions of US dollars. Officials tell Hartley that the Chinese are behind the trade, in which ivory is smuggled to the Far East to be made into trinkets such as chopsticks.

The team crosses the border into Tanzania, which says it has a well-managed elephant population. They are investigating claims that the government has covered up the loss of 30,000 elephants in the Selous Game Reserve. They travel to the village of Mloka, which is at the centre of poaching in the reserve. One local involved in poaching tells Hartley that criminals in the capital Dar es Salaam organise expeditions of up to 30 armed poachers, who travel in military vehicles so that they are not stopped in roadblocks, and leave with up to 300 kilos at a time.

Most people were too scared to talk about the true scale of the problem. But one safari operator claims that the Tanzanian wildlife department is aware of what's happening and may even be turning a blind eye to the illegal trade.

The team also hears astonishing claims that when Chinese president Hu Jintao travelled to Tanzania for a state visit, his officials left with large quantities of illegal ivory.

When approached by Unreported World, the Chinese Government said that they are against the illegal ivory trade and denied allegations that Chinese diplomats illegally purchased and exported ivory by misusing diplomatic immunity in 2009.

Unreported World also sought an interview with the Tanzanian government to put the allegations to officials. The government has subsequently told Unreported World that it will investigate the evidence gathered in the film. edits


http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/episode-guide/series-2010/episode-1


Source: http://www.thebox.bz/details.php?id=114372
Cap: geclipse
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