Poaching And The Black-Market Sale Of Ivory

A rise in demand for ivory leads to the illegal trading of elephants' tusks, mainly from Africa. In the last eight years, ivory's cost has elevated to 1800 USD from around 100USD per kg. At the same time, the international community joined hands to stop the trade of ivory. Although elephant poaching is banned worldwide, to conserve their numbers, greedy ivory merchants are still continuing to hunt elephants wherever possible to keep the supply unabated. 

The Black Market Sale Of Ivory

For a very long time, ivory has been used in many familiar goods – such as false teeth, billiard balls, piano keys, and even Scottish bagpipes. These days, there is increasing use of synthetic ivory as an alternative to elephant tusk ivory. Even ivory sourced from the tusks of extinct mammoths is used at times. This type of ivory is tolerated generally speaking because there are very few mammoths that can still be used for this kind of ivory and trade, and it does not put the lives of surviving elephants in danger. 

It is also a fact that limited legal sales of elephant ivory are still going on due to high demand from many African nations that maintain that such a trade is needed to keep the economy afloat and put to a check on the indiscriminate growth of the elephant population. In 2002, some of the cities backed by the UN lifted the ban on ivory trade to let some countries export ivory in limited amounts. 

But most of the income generated from the legal sales of elephant ivory does not go into the hands of the poor people of Africa and other countries that permit ivory trading and legalize it. Instead, it is making middlemen and vendors rich. 

As long as there are still legal permissions to sell ivory, it is tough to save animals' lives. Legalizing ivory trading in any African country has endangered the lives of thousands of elephants across continents. Poachers are and will go on, trying to launder ivory illegally with the help of legal stockpiles.

How To Stop Poaching And Black Market Ivory Sales

If you intend to stop this grievous malpractice, do not feel that you cannot contribute. You can sign an online petition and bring about a change in the system. Add your own name to a growing list of animal lovers who are urging top global leaders to lend their support to a full ban on ivory trading. 

Rainforest Rescue Organization has a petition to ban the ivory trade. At the same time, the VetPaw Organization is a leading organization that actually has U.S Marines on the ground teaching, training, and working hand and hand to Combat Elephant Poaching. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust also has a petition for you to sign and save elephant and ivory.

You can directly write to the UN as well as the government of your country. Write to them and make them understand that ivory's poaching and illegal trading cannot be stopped unless ivory's legal sales are brought to a complete stop. You can contribute to the fight and bring some change too. 

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