上千名肯亞抗議民眾27日早上聚集在奈洛比街道，呼籲6月3日至16日即將在荷蘭海牙召開的華盛頓公約會議，重視肯亞政府欲將國際象牙貿易禁令時效再延續20年的提案。
此次在奈洛比獨立公園所進行的遊行隊伍，是由肯亞野生物管理局局長基佩提（Julius Kipng'etich）發動，聚集群眾更默哀1分鐘，哀悼執勤時不幸遭盜獵者槍殺而喪生的3名國家公園巡守員。
基佩提指出，從這3名巡守員的喪生，已可預見國際象牙貿易禁令一旦解除後會發生的狀況。國際象牙貿易禁令在1989年正式頒佈，但自執行以來，幾乎每次在華盛頓公約會議上都會受到挑戰。
肯亞野生物管理局發言人烏都托表示，27日在奈洛比所進行的遊行活動，是肯亞政府爭取各界支持象牙貿易禁令時效至少再延續20年的最後一搏。
Thousands of Kenyans marched in the streets of Nairobi on Sunday morning to highlight their country's proposal for a 20 year ban on trade in elephant ivory to the Conference of Parties for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, set for June 3 to 16 in the Hague, The Netherlands.
The colorful procession at the city's Uhuru Park was addressed by Kenya Wildlife Service Director Julius Kipng'etich. The crowd observed a minute's moment of silence in honor of the three KWS rangers who were fatally shot by poachers last week while protecting wildlife.
Kipng'etich said the loss of three rangers is an indication of what would happen if the current ban on trade in elephant ivory is lifted. The ban has been in place since 1989, but has been challenged at nearly every CITES meeting since it was imposed.
The procession in Nairobi Sunday is "one of the last ditch efforts by the Kenyan Government to win supporters for its proposal for a ban on ivory trade to remain in force for at least 20 years," said Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udoto.
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