African Elephants : A Problem With Humanity

Elephants are being killed by the hundreds every day, just for their ivory. According to a book called "Ivory, horn, And Blood", the use of elephant ivory goes all the way back to the Egyptian times.

Elephant populations suffered a drop in numbers that carried the species into the endangered animals list. At the beginning of the twentieth century, about ten million elephants lived in Africa. Presently, the ten million is reduced to half a million because of illegal hunting and habitat loss. Studies of the population show twenty-two thousand were killed in 2012 and twenty-five thousand in 2011. When comparing the death rate to the natural population growth, there is a possibility the largest mammal on Earth could be extinct soon (Vaughan 1). Because the elephant is the largest animal to walk on land, the greatly increasing human population affects the elephant population first. They live in some regions of the world that have the densest human population which continues to grow, which therefore continuously decreases their own population (Bryner 1). As the human population swiftly increases, the elephant population in turn, decreases. This is so because they cannot cohabitate the same living space. Elephants and humans cannot cohabitate because they would kill each other due to the inability to communicate. About population recovery, the Animal wildlife foundation states, “Populations of elephants- especially in Southern and Eastern Africa- that once showed promising signs of recovery could be at risk due to the recent surge in poaching for the illegal ivory trade”(1). Poaching presents one of the main issues that make recovery so difficult for these animals.

In the nonfiction book Ivory, Horn, and Blood by Ronald Orenstein, the author discusses his opinions on the topic of poaching elephants and rhinos. Orenstein believes that poaching is morally wrong, unnecessary, and should be stopped. He refrains from using emotional words, instead focusing on and providing startling statistics and horrifying facts.

Because of the poaching of game like the elephant, the number of species will start to diminish. What hunters brought to the villages of Botswana was the money and the meat from the animals to feed the many people that go hungry everyday. Hunters that would take animals such as an elephant wouldn’t take any of the meat for themselves but rather they give all of the meat to the villages in the area. However, when poaching starts to take over, there will be zero meat or money that will be put back into the community. Poachers that kill elephants are only after one thing and that is the ivory from the elephant tusks. After taking the tusks, the elephant is left to rot. Another animal that is sought after by poachers in Botswana is the rhino. The rhino is poached for their horns, which are supposedly an aphrodisiac in China so the demand is high. Because of these effects, groups like SCI are so important to different places around the world. The money brought in by the hunters is used to hire conservation officers to protect the rhinos and elephants and to buy land that will be put into game preserves so the numbers of these species will increase because there aren’t any pressures from hunting or

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

Although the CITES banned the poaching of Asian and African elephants and international trade in the mid 1980’s, many organizations have been posting anti-ivory trade promotion on their website (Stiles, 309). Websites such as International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Born Free Foundation, Care for the Wild International, and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) (Stiles, 309). Many of the southern countries of Africa do not agree with the African elephant ban (Stiles, 309). They’ve been against the ban since around the mid-1980’s (Stiles, 309). People from the southern countries of Africa have been arguing because they don’t believe they should be penalized because other countries don’t know how to handle their wildlife (Stiles, 309). The CITES Conference of Parties voted in favor of Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to

In the article entitled, “No Ethical Way to Keep Elephants in Captivity” by Ed Stewart, the reader is introduced to a progressive issue or concern that has been debated about for decades. This issue involves whether it is ethical or not to keep elephants in captivity. Mr. Stewart is very clear and concise on what his thoughts are on this issue as he describes the cruel nature and hazardous conditions that many elephants in captivity experience such as: “deadly foot disease and arthritis, infertility, obesity, and abnormal repetitive behaviors such as swaying and head bobbing” (Stewart, 2013). Mr. Stewart, who is the founder of PAWS which stands for “Performing Animal Welfare Society” goes into immense detail about his position against

The poaching of elephants for their tusks has driven the animal in some countries - such as Sierra Leone and Senegal - to the point of extinction. More than 30,000 elephants were slaughtered in Africa last year alone, 382 of them in Kenya. (Stewart, 2013n n.p.).

The CNN news announced the new current event on Thursday, September 1, 2016, in Linyanti Swamp, Botswana. Africa's Savannah elephant population became smaller due to habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, and climate change. Many poachers kill elephants and sell them to the underground economy and the organized crime gangs. They use anything that has the potential to inflict serious harm or kill an animal. For instance, they use poison-tipped spears, spiked traps, and snares or poison water holes to pierce an elephant's tough hide. Also, they use grenades to kill the

Outside of the potential cooperation problems between local and national governments, there is also the cultural issue that many farmers and villagers do not respect elephants. Because elephants are creatures of habit, they follow the same migration paths that their ancestors have for decades. Due to the increased agriculture in African villages, elephants often cross right through small farms or villages, destroying crops and small structures. Many African villagers who have had these encounters with elephants do not understand the Western fascination and obsession with saving an animal they perceive as a large, more destructive cockroach.

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.

One world environmental issue that we have to turn our attention to is poaching, specifically in Africa, of animals such as elephants, zebras, lions, black rhinos, and mountain gorillas. Last year alone, over 35000 elephants were killed for their ivory tusks. Ivory is sold illegally for up to $1000 per pound, and the tusks are often carved into jewelry, religious figurines, utensils, and other small trinkets. Around 2000 zebras remain in the wild, and these animals are sought after for their black and white striped skins, which are often made into clothing or accessories. The surviving lion population is a mere 15% of what it used to be, and that is because farmers keep killing them before the lions kill their livestock. Lions are often hunted for fun too, most recently Cecil. The black rhino population is down 97.6% since 1960, and these animals are killed for their valuable horns. The horns are believed to heal various ailments, when in reality, the horns do not cure anything, it’s all myth. Fewer than 900 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, and infant gorillas are often sold on the black market

The poachers kill the elephants so that they can cut off the elephants ivory tusks; seventy percent of the demand for the ivory is in China. In 1980, there were one point two million elephants in Africa. At the start of 2014, because of poaching, wildlife officials think there are about five hundred thousand elephants remaining (Elephant Poaching). In 1989, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) banned international trade in ivory to fight the massive illegal trade. After the ban came into force in 1990 major ivory markets were eliminated. As a result, African elephant populations experienced a decrease in illegal killings, especially where they were protected. Because of this, it allowed some elephant populations to recover. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, in 2014 the total population of African elephants was about seven hundred thousand. In South America, the African elephant population is large and expanding, with more than three hundred thousand within the region. Large groups of elephants are kept in well-protected areas. However, conservative estimates were that twenty-three thousand African elephants were killed by poachers in 2013, and less than twenty percent of African elephant range was under protection (Wikipedia). The article “African Elephant” by Martin Harvey states that

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