I felt a sickening sadness as a breeze wafted the pungent decay of two rotting elephant corpses in my direction. In this beautiful Kenyan savannah there had been a terrible act of violence and somewhere nearby I knew we were going to witness the evidence. The wind played with us for a while, sending us in circles, but inevitably, behind acacia the terrible scene revealed the source of this stench. As a professional photographer I saw the horizon, the landscape, the dark blood, the corpses lined up; but I was haunted by emptiness, a feeling of loss. Elephants poached in Tsavo, Kenya 1988 © Dave Currey/EIA The killing of wild elephants for their tusks is above all, to me, an act of violence.
You might be surprised by this question but I can’t find any WWF ivory trade policy on their colourful websites although they have plenty to say about the “illegal” ivory trade. Don’t be fooled by the word “illegal” – few would ever admit to liking illegal activity – it’s not really a policy at all. It’s like us not supporting “illegal” killings – murder in most of our thoughts. So why do I question WWF’s ivory policy? If you’re horrified by the current killing of 30,000 elephants annually, confused or a supporter of WWF – read on. Elephant with calf, Tarangire, Tanzania © Dave Currey In a smoke filled bar near London’s Piccadilly Circus I met with John Hanks, WWF International's Head of A
