Ivory Trade

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Do you ever look down at your ivory rings and cry? Do you ever cringe while playing your piano? Well you should. This ivory that you may cherish, comes from a murdered elephant. There is a chance your ivory may be “fair-trade” but only 5% of all ivory is (Reisner 82-83). Just last year, 25,000 elephants were killed for their ivory (Christy 54). Elephant Populations are decreasing drastically and there is a worry they will go extinct. By wearing your rings or playing your ivory piano you are not committing a crime, but you may be supporting illegal ivory trade. The one way to repay the elephants is to become educated on the topic unlike so many and know not to buy illegal ivory. Elephants need to be here to stay. Not only are they adorable but they also are an iconic species in Africa that the world cannot simply watch disappear. It is very important for the harmful ivory trade to be stopped. Ivory is used in many ways and the ivory trade created because of these uses has great repercussions which stun governments and freeze and confuse environmentalists.
Throughout history, Ivory has always been treasured, not only for its beauty but also its many uses and social significance. Ivory is often compared to diamonds because of the high demand and prized social significance, but unlike diamonds ivory has been treasured and used for thousands of years. Ivory trade is an ancient industry. Elephants used to live on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea but the Romans and Carthaginians hunted out the population by the first century of AD (Reisner 80). But ivory trade has existed even longer than the romans. Just recently, beautifully carved ivory was found in China that dates back to 1600-1046 BCE (John Frederick Walker). This ivory...

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... National Geographic Oct. 2012: 28-62. Print.
Eilperin, Juliet. "Obama Announces Initiative to Combat Wildlife Trafficking." Washington Post. N.p., 1 July 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Gabriel, Grace Ge. "The Survival of Elephants Depends on Our Collective Stand against the Ivory Trade." International Fund For Animal Welfare. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Dec. 2013.
Gettleman, Jeffrey. "Elephants Dying in Epic Frenzy as Ivory Fuels Wars and Profits." New York Times. N.p., 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Reisner, Marc. Game Wars: The Undercover Pursuit of Wildlife Poachers. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking, 1991. Print.
"Saving the Lives of Elephants and Humans." International Fund for Animal Welfare. N.p., 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
Strindberg, Samantha, and Fiona Maisels. "Slaughter of the African Elephants." New York Times. N.p., 16 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

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