Ivory-Is it worth it?
Everyday elephants and rhinos are being poached in order to get their tusks and horns. These tusks and horns are made of ivory which is sold for very large sums. Many things are being done to stop poaching but elephants and rhinos are still being poached.
People in Asia mainly China are the main buyers of ivory from illegally poached rhinos and elephants. The ivory business is a multi million dollar business. They buy elephant tusks for $1,500 per pound. Rhino horns are $45,000 per pound, or $6,000 for 100 grams. Many things are trying to be done but there is still illegal ivory trading. There is a near total ban on ivory in the US. The Chinese government has become stricter so people trade in Vietnam and Laos where there is a less strict government. The main buyers of ivory are in Asia but people don’t want to change their ways so many people still participate in the business of ivory trading.
Elephants and rhinos are disappearing at an alarming rate due to illegal poaching. Many elephants are being killed everyday and they could soon be extinct. Tanzania's elephant population decreased by two thirds and Mozambique's fell by 40%. Elephants have dropped in population from more than 10 million to only 479,000 today.
…show more content…
Even though people are helping these animals are still being poached and could be extinct very soon. So I ask you, is ivory worth it? Works Cited
Meyer, Micheal. “Pressuring the Poachers. Newsela. Web. 4-15-16
Sherwell, Philip. “Revealed:the Laos market selling ivory carvings and ‘medicinal’ rhino horn from slaughtered wildlife to Chinese buyers.” Telegraph.co.uk. Web. 4-22-16
Kaplan, Sarah. “One of the Last four Rare White Rhinos Euthanized”. Newsela. Web. 4-20-16
Hussain, Wasbir. “As British Royals Arrive, Rhino Killed”. Newsela. Web. 4-19-16
“How Drones are Helping Stop Poachers in Africa”. Abc news. Video.
Last year 35,000 elephants were killed because of poaching and ivory trade. Elephants are poached for the ivory in their tusks. The ivory is mostly used for jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Ivory can also be used for the making of piano keys. I believe that the world needs to make a stop to poaching and the ivory trade. With that i will share with you my arguments on why i think we should stop poaching elephants.
It's a widely known fact that poaching has been detrimental to the welfare and very existence of elephants. Despite countless efforts to thwart poaching and ivory trade missions, the number of elephant deaths at the hands of poachers is still critically high. IB Times reported in 2015 that due to poaching, a staggering 35,000 African elephants are killed each year—that translates to nearly 100 elephants
Elephant poaching better or worse we can see that some people believe it was better in the past then it is in the present. For example when In the 1800’s 44,000 elephants were killed each year to meet the demands
But most of the animals that are being killed are the rare one or the ones that are in danger of bing extinct. For example the elephants are being killed for their teeth, that some people use trophies or they use it make other things like jewelries furnitures, pianos and other things that people use to as entertainment (Ivory, 1). According to article called Black Ivory; poaching, “More than 200 elephants were killed in a single state of Cameroon in the first six weeks of 2012.” The number of elephants being killed are increasing, as well as the number of rhinos. The rhinos, they are being killed by the hundreds. According to an article by Humane Society “more than 1,004 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone and this year’s tally as of October 24th was 899 – that’s three rhinos poached each day. At this rate, the 2014 rhino poaching figure for South Africa will be 1,100, exceeding last year’s record-setting poaching level.” (Poachers and Trophy Hunters Conspiring to Hurt Endangered Rhinos). These are just some example of animals that are being poached, many other are killed and mistreated like lemurs, deers, tigers, lions,
In conclusion the ivory trade is not the best thing to get caught up with or else you can go to prison
The Ivory Trade is a group that kills for food and money. They kill animals for their insides and they leave the skin. The ivory trade mostly kills the elements because of how big they are. They did illegal things to get money or food. They killed 12,000 elephants each year. The group says that “ Sudan has become the base of africa’s ivory trade.
Between the years of 1979 and 1989 the African elephant population had declined from 1.3 million to 625,000, and the price had doubled per kilogram (Nave 1). The ban shut down all legal trade of the commodity, but black markets in ivory began to flourish. According to Kreuter, "poaching has increased in at least five of the nine countries studied by the African Elephant Specialist Group in 1994." In a few countries, such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa, programs have been put in place to give people incentives to maintain the elephant population (Kreuter 1). These incentives have placed a value on live elephants for the Africans who have therefore helped to maintain the numbers of these endangered creatures.
For instance, elephant teeth and rhino horns can go for big money in the ivory (ivory can be made into an assortment of things: piano keys, buttons, chopsticks, etc.) industries across the world, not to mention even bears and sheep are at risk, for their gall bladders and antlers respectively (Estrada). Many countries also believe that things like rhino horns, or for example the gall bladders mentioned earlier, contain medicinal benefits when it has been proven that they do not (yum, nothing like gall bladder soup to coat that sore throat). According to Do Something, “In Asia, tiger parts (other than the bones) are used in mythological medicine. This includes: the eyes, hair, internal organs, even tiger penis – which is used in soup as an aphrodisiac.” Many of these prizes obtained from the poached animal can be sold for a lot of money to anyone who is willing to fork over the cash, which no surprise means a lot of people. Not only do buyers of these items help illegal wildlife trade prosper, different countries also assist in helping poachers to thrive, as well. Asian countries such as Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Korea are all home to industries that help keep poaching alive because the demand for scavenged items is so high in these places, which means even more cash to line
Poaching, which transcends beyond the loss of a specific animal has led to negative effects economically, politically and socially. It has greatly affected Africa, and the biodiversity of its animals. Elephants continue to still travel around Africa in large herds but they remain vulnerable to habitat loss, poaching and the interaction between humans and wildlife.
Elephants are the biggest walking mammals in the world and they are mostly found in the African Savanna.As amazing as this animals are they are decreasing from population,which is caused by poaching.Elephant poaching was greatly use in the 1970's and were sold illegally throughout the countries.The government did something about it,they stop the selling of illegal ivory and decrease the elephant poaching which cause the elephant population to
These elephants are sold to dealers, who make materialistic items from them. The rising wealth makes poaching easy since people are now able to afford ivory, and humans need to realize that wildlife poaching is a serious crime. Elephants are large animals that need space to live, reproduce and continue to offer an important to other animals and humans in the environment. More elephants are dying in Africa than are being born due to an increase in poaching that results in their habitat loss. Their natural habitats geographically are located in south, central, and east Africa in dense forest and deserts. African elephants are the keystone herbivorous species of the African environment. They play a critical role in maintaining a balance for the other species in the environment.
1.1. The critical situation of elephant poaching is costing Africa millions in lost tourism income. Many tourists do not appreciate waiting in queues for their cars to be searched at the entrance. Seeing dead animals (such as elephants and rhinos) as a result of poaching, hearing gunshots and the sound of anti-poaching helicopter patrolling the area can scare the tourists and ruin the experience of visiting a nature reserve to reconnect with nature and this prevents tourists from returning. Elephants are one of the biggest wild animals so many tourists look forward to seeing them graze the land and even take a ride on their back.
Interestingly, elephants are becoming increasingly rare. This, in part, is due to poaching. Elephants are poached for their tusks, which are made of ivory. Oddly, ivory is more durable than precious metals. Additionally, ivory is easier to carve than metal. This is why ivory is sought after.
“We are experiencing what is likely to be the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history,” said Richard G. Ruggiero, an official with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Ney York Times; December 3, 2012). The poaching of elephants started in the late 1800’s and is still happening today. People are slaughtering these majestic animals for their ivory tusks. Ivory has been sold on the black market for millions of dollars. Before the start of ivory poaching there were millions of elephants in the world in both Africa and India, but today because of the hunting for ivory, there are barely any of these giants left in the wild. Throughout history Europeans have been moving in on central African states to make
There are 37 countries or “range states” through out sub-Saharan Africa in which elephants are found (Poilecot, N'Gakoutou, and Taloua 9). To many indigenous people elephants are a source of bush meat, but their ‘white gold’ can prove to be a substantial reward for poachers. For example in Kenya and uncarved piece of ivory in 1969 was worth