One elephant is killed approximately every 15 minutes (The Ivory Game, 1:47:27). This alarming rate is mainly due to the high price of ivory. Ivory prices have increased correspondingly to elephant deaths. But this hunt for ivory has affected elephants genetic make up and these defenseless animals have only humans to rely on for protection. Governments are and plan to help out these creatures, but a lot has to be done to restore elephant populations.
Elephants are extremely emotional animals, they form lifelong connections with their herd. Herds are very team based, everyone helps raise and protect the baby elephants, they stick together in tough times. The matriarch leads the herd on paths that she had followed along and memorized as a younger elephant. Memories are passed down from each elephant, memories that are lost when an elephant dies. Elephants get the same grieving feeling as humans when coming upon another dead elephant. These loving, wise, emotional animals have to deal with constant loss because poachers are continuously killing their friends and family. Something no human would stand for if it were their family.
Elephant populations are rapidly declining in Africa and poachers are the main root of this mass murder. Poachers kill these innocent animals just to obtain their tusks, which are made of ivory. International ivory trade is banned along with many restrictions and bans within each country, but China is a major dealer regardless of any regulations. Ivory is a lucrative business on the rise in China, racking up $2,100 per kilogram in 2014 versus only $750 per kilo in 2010 (Threats to African, Hellman). This rising price only puts elephants in more risk, as their ivory becomes more valuable, the more they’ll be hunted and killed for it. Because of this high demand for ivory, elephant populations have dropped by the millions in the last century.
These relentless poachers kill the elephants with the greatest, most valuable tusks, while simultaneously affecting the genes pool of elephants. The size and shape of an elephant’s tusk are entirely inherited, meaning if you get rid of the elephants with the larger, stronger tusks, new elephant generations will only have small, if any, tusks (Shoshani). This causes a detrimental affect on the lives of elephants. “Tusks are used for defense, offense, digging, lifting objects, gathering food, stripping bark to eat from leaves, and protection for trunks” (Shoshani). Tuskless elephants are becoming more and more prevalent as poaching dwindles elephant populations to lower than ever before. In “Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa… 98% of female elephants have no ivory” because poachers had left only 11 elephants in 1931, of which, “four of the eight surviving females were tuskless” (England). As one could easily imagine, in numerous herds there is a “direct correlation between the intensity of poaching and the percentage of females born without tusks” (England). Beyond genes, many elephants have adapted to poachers being around, videos show that when some elephants notice a threatening human, or potential poacher, they become on high alert, raising their ears, shielding their babies, and are ready to run. Elephants know they’re in danger, but unfortunately have little to defend themselves with against people.
But it’s not just poachers that elephants have to worry about. As human populations increase, more land is being used for agriculture. Human land is invading elephant territory resulting in the occasional “raid [of] farmers’ fields and damaging [of] their crops – affecting the farmers’ livelihoods – and may even kill people” (Threats to African). The expansion of people means that humans and elephant are coming into more constant contact- which is usually conflict with each other. Farmers feel so threatened that some will even kill the elephants. Conservationists try to help the communities by building fences or other negotiating to get them away from resorting to killing.
Elephants are ultimately defenseless against humans and their guns- their survival requires the help of other people. Military techniques in combatting poaching have been adopted by Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe in the hopes of beating guns with guns. They patrol areas with some having a shoot-to-kill policy for any found poachers, but reports show that even in these countries, “elephant kill rates would continue to go up” (Caulderwood).
Despite inconclusive success in militarial defense, progress has been made in stopping this devastation through governments and legislation. Governments in Africa are rounding up all the ivory they can find from poachers and dealers to get it off the market. In April of this year, “Kenya destroyed its entire stockpile of 105 tons of ivory” and over 600 tons remain in stockpiles of various African governments (The Ivory Game, 1:47:06). Following Kenya’s ivory burning, the U.S. banned all ivory trade in July while Hong Kong, one of the leading markets for ivory, says to be ending it by 2021 (The Ivory Game, 1:47:11). Across the globe, governments are beginning to notice this massacre, implementing new laws and regulations on ivory trade.
There are currently less than 500,000 elephants in the world today and are considered endangered, something no one could have imagined as a kid learning about them and seeing them in the zoo. At the rate it’s going now, kids in the next few generations could likely live in a world where elephants are extinct, and can only be seen in pictures and videos. This genocide must be stopped and the selling of ivory must cease to see any population gains for elephants. These innocent, defenseless creatures need human help to save them from human actions. Only time will tell if elephants will remain present on earth.
Elephants are extremely emotional animals, they form lifelong connections with their herd. Herds are very team based, everyone helps raise and protect the baby elephants, they stick together in tough times. The matriarch leads the herd on paths that she had followed along and memorized as a younger elephant. Memories are passed down from each elephant, memories that are lost when an elephant dies. Elephants get the same grieving feeling as humans when coming upon another dead elephant. These loving, wise, emotional animals have to deal with constant loss because poachers are continuously killing their friends and family. Something no human would stand for if it were their family.
Elephant populations are rapidly declining in Africa and poachers are the main root of this mass murder. Poachers kill these innocent animals just to obtain their tusks, which are made of ivory. International ivory trade is banned along with many restrictions and bans within each country, but China is a major dealer regardless of any regulations. Ivory is a lucrative business on the rise in China, racking up $2,100 per kilogram in 2014 versus only $750 per kilo in 2010 (Threats to African, Hellman). This rising price only puts elephants in more risk, as their ivory becomes more valuable, the more they’ll be hunted and killed for it. Because of this high demand for ivory, elephant populations have dropped by the millions in the last century.
These relentless poachers kill the elephants with the greatest, most valuable tusks, while simultaneously affecting the genes pool of elephants. The size and shape of an elephant’s tusk are entirely inherited, meaning if you get rid of the elephants with the larger, stronger tusks, new elephant generations will only have small, if any, tusks (Shoshani). This causes a detrimental affect on the lives of elephants. “Tusks are used for defense, offense, digging, lifting objects, gathering food, stripping bark to eat from leaves, and protection for trunks” (Shoshani). Tuskless elephants are becoming more and more prevalent as poaching dwindles elephant populations to lower than ever before. In “Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa… 98% of female elephants have no ivory” because poachers had left only 11 elephants in 1931, of which, “four of the eight surviving females were tuskless” (England). As one could easily imagine, in numerous herds there is a “direct correlation between the intensity of poaching and the percentage of females born without tusks” (England). Beyond genes, many elephants have adapted to poachers being around, videos show that when some elephants notice a threatening human, or potential poacher, they become on high alert, raising their ears, shielding their babies, and are ready to run. Elephants know they’re in danger, but unfortunately have little to defend themselves with against people.
But it’s not just poachers that elephants have to worry about. As human populations increase, more land is being used for agriculture. Human land is invading elephant territory resulting in the occasional “raid [of] farmers’ fields and damaging [of] their crops – affecting the farmers’ livelihoods – and may even kill people” (Threats to African). The expansion of people means that humans and elephant are coming into more constant contact- which is usually conflict with each other. Farmers feel so threatened that some will even kill the elephants. Conservationists try to help the communities by building fences or other negotiating to get them away from resorting to killing.
Elephants are ultimately defenseless against humans and their guns- their survival requires the help of other people. Military techniques in combatting poaching have been adopted by Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe in the hopes of beating guns with guns. They patrol areas with some having a shoot-to-kill policy for any found poachers, but reports show that even in these countries, “elephant kill rates would continue to go up” (Caulderwood).
Despite inconclusive success in militarial defense, progress has been made in stopping this devastation through governments and legislation. Governments in Africa are rounding up all the ivory they can find from poachers and dealers to get it off the market. In April of this year, “Kenya destroyed its entire stockpile of 105 tons of ivory” and over 600 tons remain in stockpiles of various African governments (The Ivory Game, 1:47:06). Following Kenya’s ivory burning, the U.S. banned all ivory trade in July while Hong Kong, one of the leading markets for ivory, says to be ending it by 2021 (The Ivory Game, 1:47:11). Across the globe, governments are beginning to notice this massacre, implementing new laws and regulations on ivory trade.
There are currently less than 500,000 elephants in the world today and are considered endangered, something no one could have imagined as a kid learning about them and seeing them in the zoo. At the rate it’s going now, kids in the next few generations could likely live in a world where elephants are extinct, and can only be seen in pictures and videos. This genocide must be stopped and the selling of ivory must cease to see any population gains for elephants. These innocent, defenseless creatures need human help to save them from human actions. Only time will tell if elephants will remain present on earth.
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