What is Ivory Poaching?
IVORY POACHING
Demand
- The processes of inhumanly removing elephant tusk, rhino horns, and various other animal limbs for the use of art, jewelery, religious practices/objects, medicine, piano keys, etc.
China, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam are essentially the rein of demand for ivory. These countries value ivory for the use of jewelery, art, dominoes, piano keys, religious practices/objects, etc. Ivory has increased wealth in these countries as well as stimulate their economy.
Solutions
Solutions in Action
Proposed Solution #4
Raise awareness of ivory poaching in demanding countries.
Purposed Solution #1
PROS: Causes no harm (70% of Chinese consumers thought the animals were not killed during the process. After discovering the reality of ivory the percentage of consumers who said the would continue to buy ivory dropped to 35%
- 1986 the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) began to control and restrict ivory trade.
- 1989 CITES put the African elephant under endangered species protection.
- 1990 international trade of ivory was made illegal.
CONS: forms of advertisements can be expensive and how effective they will be is unknown.
Environmentalist have injected color dye into the tusk which make them ineffective for medicine, religious practices, and diminishes the aesthetic value.
PROS: The tusks have no value and are hazardous for medical use.
CONS: The dye is unnatural and the long term effects are unknown.
Proposed Solution #3
PROPOSED SOLUTION #2
Game wardens set up decoy animals to lure poachers.
PROS: Catches poachers
Animals are confined and have their tusk removed humanely, and the sale of ivory remains regulated.
CONS: Time consuming process, dangerous, and unreliable.
PROS: The animals are not dying and the demand of ivory is still being met.
Best Solution?
CONS: Animals are removed from their natural environment and no longer have their tusk/horns to defend themselves.
Solution #4 is anticipated to be the most effective solution. Raising awareness is the only solution that is completely natural. Statistics show that informing consumers of ivory about poaching has made a sufficient difference and proven that many consumers are unaware of where ivory comes from.
Overview
DID YOU KNOW?
Wildlife trafficking is ranked as the third largest criminal industry in the world.
Ivory is more expensive than gold and cocaine at $133 per gram.
Despite great lengths to stop and prevent ivory poaching, it is still as much as an issue today as it was twenty years. Elephant population has decreased excessively and if this rapid decline continues, it will lead to dire consequences of the ecosystem.
Despite the banned on ivory poaching in 1989, an average of 50 elephants killed daily.
Rhinos are currently being poached at the rate of two per day.
Every solution has some merit, but the long term effects are unknown. Ivory comes with a prices, and consumers should be aware of that.