105 tons of ivory, 1 ton of rhino horn, numerous animal skins, sandalwood etc. were set ablaze in Kenya's Nairobi National Park on April 30, 2016.
The historic burn was meant to send a message that ivory has no value unless it is on elephants and that its trade should be banned.
In the past ten years, one in five elephants have been killed for their tusks. 1,338 rhinos were killed for their horns in 2015, out of an estimated total population of only 25,600 black and white rhinos.
11 pyres were created out of confiscated elephant tusks, animal skins, and sandalwood. These ivory towers were guarded by Kenya Wildlife Service rangers 24/7.
The rhino horns, because of their value, were only taken out of storage the morning of the burn. 1kg of rhino horn fetches $67k on the black market and the average horn weights 6-9 kgs. Large elephant tusks weighing 50kgs and over were also brought out the same morning.
"To lose our elephants would be to lose a key part of our heritage, and we quite simply will not allow it. We will not be the Africans who stood by as that happened.” -President Uhuru Kenyatta
While pyres of elephant tusk were created days before, the rhino horn was kept under constant guard.
Rhino horn is removed from storage and hauled into trucks.
Rhino horn is added to piles of sandalwood and animal skins.
A soldier guards the rhino horn.
The largest tusks, belonging to tuskers (elephants with tusks so big that they touch the ground) are brought last.
Each tusk is labeled with a serial number.
Uhuru Kenyatta lights the pyre.
Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers look on as the tusks are set ablaze.
Uhuru Kenyatta gives a press conference with as the ivory burns behind him.