Are elephants still being killed for ivory?
Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers. Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. In the 1980s, an estimated 100,000 elephants were being killed per year and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions.
Can ivory be taken without killing the elephant?
The bottom third of each elephant tusk is embedded within the skull of the animal. This part is actually a pulpy cavity that contains nerves, tissue and blood vessels. However, it too is ivory. The only way a tusk can be removed without killing the animal is if the animal sheds the tooth on its own.
Would a legal ivory trade save elephants or speed up the massacre?
A legal ivory trade cannot save elephants, now or ever. As the saying goes: “Ivory belongs on elephants; in national heritage, not in markets or ornaments.”
Does the ban on ivory trade makes elephant safe?
Asian Elephant However, the species is still threatened by the ivory trade, and many conservationists have supported the African ivory trade ban because evidence shows that ivory traders are not concerned whether their raw material is from Africa or Asia. Decisions by CITES on ivory trade affect Asian elephants.
Why is ivory so precious?
Q: What makes ivory so precious? It has no intrinsic value, but its cultural uses make ivory highly prized. In Africa, it has been a status symbol for millennia because it comes from elephants, a highly respected animal, and because it is fairly easy to carve into works of art.
Why is trade in ivory illegal?
Ivory trade was banned in 1989 by the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international agreement between 181 governments to ensure that trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Is Buying elephant tusk illegal?
On July 6, 2016, a near-total ban on commercial trade in African elephant ivory went into effect in the United States. If you already own ivory – an heirloom carving that’s been passed down in your family, or a vintage musical instrument with ivory components, those pieces are yours.
How are we saving elephants from the ivory trade?
Our approach to saving elephants involves disrupting the trans-national organised criminal groups that fuel much of the large-scale ivory trafficking from Africa to Asia. We do this by investigating wildlife trafficking networks and the criminals that run them, who are often based far away in Vietnam, China and Singapore.
How did the EIA stop the ivory trade?
The EIA has been at the forefront of saving elephants for more than three decades; we were instrumental in securing the international ban on ivory trade in the late ’80s and we’ve been fighting to keep it in place ever since. Why save African elephants?
How much does it cost to sell ivory in China?
Criminals in China can sell forest elephant ivory for $900 per kilo, compared to $150 per kilo for ivory from savannah elephants In contrast to the cream-coloured ivory of savannah elephants, forest elephants’ tusks have a distinctive pink tinge.
Why is ivory being smuggled out of Africa?
The criminals behind ivory smuggling out of Africa are ruthless profiteers who would rather line their own pockets than save the African elephant from extinction.