Who is killing elephants for ivory?

Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory

trade in ivory

The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, mammoth, and most commonly, African and Asian elephants.

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Ivory trade - Wikipedia

, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers. Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. The ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewellery – China is the biggest consumer market for such products.

Why are elephants killed for ivory?

Ivory, which comes from elephant tusks, is considered very valuable. Because of the high price of ivory, poachers illegally kill elephants so that they can take their tusks and sell them. Tens of thousands of elephants are killed each year for their tusks, and as a result, elephant populations have declined rapidly.

Who is involved with illegally obtaining ivory?

Answer. Stakeholders include the poachers, smugglers, law enforcement community, conservationists, producers and purchasers of ivory products in China. In one way or another these stakeholders participate in the supply chain of illegally obtained ivory—and the decline of the African elephant population.

Who is the biggest buyer of ivory?

The exact demand from Asia is unknown but in recent years China has become the largest consumer of ivory products in the world (page 7).

Is killing elephants for ivory illegal?

The United States implemented a near-total ban on elephant ivory trade in 2016, and the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other elephant ivory markets followed suit.

Elephant Poachers in Kenya

Can elephants live without their tusks?

MCCAMMON: Around 90% of the elephants there were killed, but many female elephants without tusks survived and thrived.

What is the current price of ivory?

That's a lot of money in most African countries. But the big profit is made in Asia. Thai Customs recently evaluated smuggled ivory as being worth $1,800 per kilogram—$18,000 per elephant—wholesale. The “street value” retail price of 10 kilograms of carved ivory now runs about $60,000.

Why do people still buy ivory?

People also have been known to use ivory to bribe government officials, because it is rarer than money or gold. Some seek out elephant ivory products for spiritual reasons, believing a bangle or pendant can protect its wearer from harm or bad luck.

Can ivory still be sold?

If you own ivory that you have not registered or certified, you cannot sell or hire it out under any circumstances. If you are involved in arranging or facilitating an illegal sale, purchase or hire, you will be committing an offence under the Ivory Act 2018.

Is ivory still legal in China?

Two years after China bans elephant ivory trade, demand for elephant ivory is down. Two years ago this month, China took the monumental step of banning elephant ivory trade within the country. Dec. 31, 2017 was the last day it was legal to buy or sell ivory there.

Who is poaching elephants?

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. The ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewellery – China is the biggest consumer market for such products.

What does China use ivory for?

Ivory is often used to make elaborate and expensive ornaments in China. In China and Hong Kong, ivory is seen as precious material and is used in ornaments and jewellery. It's also sometimes used in traditional Chinese medicine. Some rich Chinese people think that owning ivory makes them look more successful.

How much is a pound of ivory worth?

Currently going for about $3,300 per pound, the global trade in ivory is worth about $23 billion annually, a reality made plain by the gruesome photos of butchered elephants that have become almost commonplace.

Can elephant tusks be removed without killing?

The other reason is that full-grown elephants are extremely large and dangerous, especially when they feel threatened. The only way a tusk can be removed without killing the animal is if the animal sheds the tooth on its own.

Are human teeth ivory?

The visible, ivory part is made up of extremely dense dentin, which is also found in our teeth. Similar to our teeth, the tusk does not grow back if it is broken off at its root. While humans have the option of visiting a dentist to replace missing teeth, elephants sadly, do not, which brings us to our next point.

Why is ivory so valuable?

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.

Can you legally own ivory?

A. The U.S. ivory ban does not limit the right to possess or pass down ivory to family members. No current state ivory ban restricts the possession or inheritance of ivory, rhino horn, or any of the wildlife products covered in the law.

How much is an elephant tusk worth?

Poachers are now slaughtering up to 35,000 of the estimated 500,000 African elephants every year for their tusks. A single male elephant's two tusks can weigh more than 250 pounds, with a pound of ivory fetching as much as $1,500 on the black market.

Is it illegal to own ivory jewelry?

State Ivory Bans

Ivory sales are also banned in several states, such as California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Washington and New York.

What do poachers do with ivory?

Poachers kill about 20,000 elephants every single year for their tusks, which are then traded illegally in the international market to eventually end up as ivory trinkets. This trade is mostly driven by demand for ivory in parts of Asia.

Do elephants regrow tusks?

Elephant tusks do not grow back, but rhino horns do. An elephant's tusks are actually its teeth — its incisors, to be exact. Most of the tusk consists of dentin, a hard and dense bony tissue, and the entire tusk is coated with enamel, the hardest known animal tissue, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

What is elephant ivory used for today?

Tooth and tusk ivory can be carved into a vast variety of shapes and objects. Examples of modern carved ivory objects are okimono, netsukes, jewelry, flatware handles, furniture inlays, and piano keys.

Who uses ivory?

GlobeScan spent eight months conducting surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups in the five countries in which demand for ivory is known to be concentrated: China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States.

How much do elephant tusks sell for on the black market?

The going price for the ivory — tusks brutally hacked from elephants by poachers — is a cool $1,500 per pound.

What is walrus ivory worth?

Prices for a walrus tusk can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $395 and can go as high as $19,200, while the average can fetch as much as $2,200.