Effects Of Elephant Poaching On African Elephant Population

&An. : Ivory is a very special material used for lots of things, but it comes at the price of hundreds of innocent elephants being killed for a small amount of material, and it’s really affecting the elephant population

The official title of the world’s largest land dwelling animal belongs to the elephant, more specifically, the African elephant. Elephants also are some of the most deadly animals, which therefore increase the danger of human and elephant interactions. The more human interactions occur, the more deaths result, whether it is the elephant or the human who dies. These animals, surprisingly, are socially apt; their trunk is used for more than just eating and drinking- it is used for socializing. They are complex animals who live in large familial herds-females stay with their family throughout their entire lives while males only stay for approximately fifteen years (Elephant Protection, 1). Elephants possess a great memory and only forget what they learn occasionally and rarely, giving way to the “an elephant never forgets” saying (Maloiy, 178c). Despite how many people use the beloved saying, elephants may not be around much longer due to the shortened life span and increased mortality rates. Due to their incisor teeth, tusks, being extremely expensive and profitable, they are being murdered for the wealth they carry. This, coupled with the life span shortening because of malicious treatments and brutal practices reduces the life span of the African elephant from 56 to 16 years and the Asian elephant from 42 to 19 years (Elephant Protection, 1). According to what the statistics show, elephants may be following their ancestors to their death. Of the group of mammals called

Because of the sale of illegal ivory so many elephants' lives are put at risk. If the poaching of elephants and ever-growing trade in illegal ivory is to be seriously addressed, part of the solution to this complex problem must be a return to the full ban on the sale of ivory established in 1989 (Bloody Ivory). Between 434,000 and 684,000 African savanna elephants in 18 countries remain, down 30% in the last seven years. Once again levels of poaching and illegal trade have spiraled out of control. Rates of poaching are now the worst they have been since 1989. There are no easy answers, but a total ivory trade ban is the one strategy we know has worked (Mary Rice). Hong Kong seized 779 elephant tusks three days into 2013, over a ton of ivory,

Trophy hunting is a wildly controversial topic, especially in today’s social media driven world. Every time a new picture of a hunter and a dead lion or other animal is posted online the media goes crazy. Africa is known for it’s beautiful landscapes, and more importantly the exotic highly sought after animals that roam the land. Africa’s most prominent animals are known as the “big five” it consists of the most challenging and rewarding animals to hunt. The big five consists of: lions, elephants, white rhinoceros, leopards, and finally the buffalo. The big five are majestic and extremely dangerous creatures, therefore they are highly sought after by mainly wealthy white males from all over the world as trophy hunts. Locals to Africa see the animals as threats to their way of life, America see’s them as exotic creatures that need to be protected, and trophy hunters see them as a challenge and another check on the list. The two perspectives I am going to look at about this controversial topic is from a social construction perspective and a political economy perspective.

Trump’s lift on the ban of endangered elephant trophy imports into the U.S. is just another prime example of how politics and money take precedence over precious life and the environment. Fortunately, the new policy that Trump is considering is on-hold. According to Tanya Sernerib, Center for Biological Diversity Attorney, “we are in the midst of a poaching crisis. Elephant populations across Africa are declining”, she said in an interview with WCCO CBS Minnesota in November 2017. It was reported in that same broadcast that the elephant population on the African continent declined by 30% between 2007 and 2014 based on a report released by the Great Elephant Census Organization in 2016. If the ban is not lifted, those interested in sports

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

Wildlife hunting is a big business a 2013 estimate valued the illegal poaching trade in Africa worth 17 billion dollars a year and growing. While elephant poaching between 1800’s - 1999 and 2000’s and up have some similarities they also have a wide variety of differences. Elephant poaching in 1800’s-1999 was done to meet the worldwide demands, but elephant poaching in 2000’s and above was done for sport. Elephant poaching is wrong and shouldn’t be done.

Recently, the poaching controversy has gained more attention in the news and media due to the killing of Cecil the Lion back in 2015. But what exactly is poaching and why is it illegal? Poaching can be defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals. Animals are captured and killed for their parts and products that are eventually sold on the black market and to cartels to make medicines, trinkets, and other products. Animals are typically poached for personal gain and value.The the illegal poaching trade in Africa alone has accumulated a worth of $17 billion dollars a year and it keeps growing. Ivory, fur, skin, and bones especially are in high demand and places/people are willing to pay high numbers for these products, so it is no surprise that people continue to hunt them. Due to poaching, the tiger is one of the most endangered species in the world . Tiger parts, such as fur, skin, and bones, are seen as a luxury and are used as commerce on the black market and secretly throughout Asia. Although China has participated in the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, the laws are commonly ignored and it remains the primary destination for tiger parts. Elephants are also on the brink of extinction and the number hunted per year keeps increasing. Despite international ivory trade being banned in the 1990s, it is still sold on the black market and sought after in Asia; once again, China being the biggest demander. According to Kideghesho in Sage Journals , “widespread poaching coupled with inefficient law enforcement in Tanzania was manifested in the dramatic decline of the elephant population to less than 30% of what it was in 1979, a drop from 316,000 to 85,000 by 1987.” Rhinos are also greatly sought after in Africa. In

I would take the side of the people who are trying to stop elephant and ivory poaching. Because if it continues the elephants will go extinct soon and we will only be able to see them in zoos. There should at least be 2,000 elephants in the wild. Hunters can hunt other animals for money. Elephants are amazing creatures that do not deserve to be killed just for their tusks so hunters can just make some money. But if they keep killing them they will go extinct and hunters won’t make any more money.

Over the last 100 years, African elephant populations have declined from 3-5 million to 470,000-690,000 and Asian elephant populations have declined from 100,000 to between 35,000 and 50,000. Habitat loss and conflict with people are among the biggest threats to their continued survival. Elephant habitat is being replaced by farms and villages. Not only are elephants being pushed into smaller and smaller areas, but the crops that are planted by farmers (sugar cane, cassava, rice) are very tempting for elephants. As a result, elephants frequently raid and destroy crops and villages. People are often injured and killed by elephants during conflict. Elephants are killed in retaliation for the damage that they cause.

Planet Earth is the one and only home for humans, and it’s their natural duty to protect it and all of its inhabitants. For many people, the fate of animals is of little importance, especially when there are so many of their own species suffering throughout the world. However, only when one has respect for nature can he or she come to appreciate for his or herself. In the past few decades, some animals have progressively come closer and closer to extinction. When compared to demographics 30 years ago, less than 5% of tiger and rhino populations remain in the wild (Congressional). The main culprits for this abominable crime against nature are avaricious poachers who seek personal gain and profit. Poaching is the illegal killing of

The Gourma region of Mali is home to one of only two desert elephant herds in the world with approximately 550 elephants. But conservationists warn that without government support and intervention, Mali's desert desert elephants could go extinct in 3 years. In 2015, 80 desert elephants were killed and another 16 elephants were killed in January 2016. Poaching and habitat loss have caused their numbers to drop from tens of thousands to low hundreds.

Thesis Statement: My purpose today is to inform you on the illegal poaching on elephants and the ivory trade.

Animal poaching has a bigger price tag than the trophy sitting on the shelf. Poaching is causing iconic animals of many continents and of our oceans to become endangered or even extinct. These animals that people have come to love and fantasize over may be gone before we are (Africa). Elephants, rhinos, lions, and zebras are the animals thought of the most when it comes to animal poaching, but many animals are poached. They are killed for only one quality, like their horns or skins and the rest of the animal is left behind. Poaching is a massive business that is ran by international networks, it’s estimated to make hundreds of millions of dollars (World). Not all wildlife trade is illegal, but it becomes a crisis when an increasing amount of illegal poaching is done and it directly threatens the survival of species in the wild (World). Since 1960 97.6% of the Black Rhino population in Africa has been poached and lions are extinct in seven African countries (Africa).

There are organizations around the globe designed to stop elephant poaching. Their intent is to sway people’s opinions to help with the world-wide problem. Only a global ban on the sale of ivory would take the heat off of these massive creatures. Solutions might include, addressing the involvement of international criminal institutes by means of strong law enforcement at both national and international levels along the full extent of the supply. Closing down domestic (national) markets in ivory, would also be beneficial. Countries could embrace the trade ban, and educate consumers in order to stem the demand for ivory (Bloody Ivory; January 11, 2013).