Heartbreaking photo of skinned elephant killed in grotesque new trade

The butchered body of an illegally killed Asian elephant has been pictured slumped in the rainforest of Burma as part of a grotesque new trade. The magnificent creature has been slaughtered to feed the growing Chinese demand for elephant skin, which is used in medicine and to make macabre jewellery. The disturbing pictures were taken during an undercover operation, funded by a British-based charity, Elephant Family. They tracked poachers who strip the hide and sell to China, despite an international ban on poaching, reports Mail Online. The horrific trade is responsible for an escalating number of skinned carcasses being found in the jungles. Despite the Burmese government recording only four cases in the past few months, unofficial sources believe at least 50 elephants have been skinned this year so far. According to figures from the Burma government, elephant poaching rose by 25% in just two years. More than 400kg of elephant skin was seized in south-west China recently, which can sell for up to £45 a kilo. Dr Khyne U Mar, an Asian elephant expert, told Mail Online: ‘I am very concerned about this trade. It is very new. ‘We recently started finding increasing amounts of cut-up, dried elephant skin.’ Investigators tracked the skin to a notorious wildlife market at Mong La on the Burma-Chinese border, which serves as a major international hub in the trade in endangered animals. | Metro News via IFTTT

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