2016-10-17 Mon

On 24th September, on the first day of a world wildlife conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, 12 stamps were issued by The United Nations Postal Administration under a set called Eye on Africa featuring animals and plants from Africa and commemorating the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES CoP17. 181 countries and the European Union discussed the dangerous impact of international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants.

The three UNPA post offices at U.N. headquarters issued a souvenir sheet of four se-tenant stamps. Three of the $1.15 stamps depict animals - addax, white rhinoceros, and African lion and the fourth stamp shows a plant - Disa uniflora, an orchid found only in South Africa.

The addax or the endangered screw-horned antelope is found mostly in the Sahara. Experts state that only 300 remain in the wild, 1,000 in zoos, ranches, and other private collections.

The white rhinoceros is the second largest land mammal after the African elephant. Experts state that 19,682 to 21,077 of them are in the wild.

The King of the jungle, the African lion hunt on grassy savannahs and live in social groups called a Pride made of several female lions, their cubs and a couple of male lions, unlike other cats.

Four 2-franc U.N./Geneva stamps feature the gray-crowned crane, Madagascan mantilla, mountain gorilla, and a flowering succulent from South Africa.

The €1.70 U.N./Vienna stamps depict the Nile crocodile, Cape vulture, Cape pangolin, and a miniature African orchid.

Photographs of AGE Fotostock, Donald Brown, and Miles Anderson were used to create the designs by Sergio Baradat of the United Nations.

120,000 each of the $1.15 and 2fr stamps were issued and 140,000 of the €1.70 stamps were issued.