The African elephant has a population of 415,000 in the world which means they are less at risk than the Asian elephant with a population of 40,000. These numbers may seem high because species like the Northern White Rhino have a population of only 2 in the wild, but in reality, the number is low and continuingly decreasing. African and Asian Elephants are an endangered species as a result of overpopulation, habitat loss, and the illegal ivory game. Elephants should not go extinct because they balance our ecosystem and provide water for the species around them by digging river beds.
The biggest issue this species faces is the illegal ivory game. Ivory is the white material that comes from elephant tusks; tusks are those long front teeth that an elephant has. Tusks are such an integral part of an elephant’s life as they use it to lift heavy objects, defend themselves, dig, and collect their food.
For hundreds of years, the ivory trade has been a huge deal. Hunters all over the world chase down an elephant, kill them, remove their tusks, and use the ivory from the tusks for porcelain, art, jewelry, and gold. People who kill these elephants sell ivory to gain hundreds of dollars giving them an incentive to participate.
Before the 1980’s, hunting for ivory was legal. After the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild, the Fauna and Flora act was passed to ban trading. It becoming illegal is explained by the World Wildlife Fund in their article “Threats to an Elephant.” Although trading ivory began to decrease, it spiked back up a few years later.
The country that has the biggest market for ivory is Asia. This makes sense because they have easier access to the Asian elephants rather than the United States or Antarctica. They also hold more value to jewelry and they use ivory in their medicine as well.
The issue I have with hunting elephants for their tusks is that they are brutally killed for human desire. These hunters chase them through their habitat, shoot them down, and carve out their teeth so that they could have nice things like jewelry and money. It is frustrating to learn about how much humans encroach on so many different species. We, as a population, cause an abundance of issues to species that are supporting the environment we live in and making sure that the ecosystem doesn’t fall apart. This ivory hunting game is just another issue to add on the long list of how human development affects endangered species
To support this endangered species you can donate to the World Wildlife Fund that takes the money and uses it to conserve elephants: https://protect.worldwildlife.org/page/52717/donate/1?en_og_source=Web_Donation&_gl=1*1us7qhd*_ga*MTYwNDAxMzY4Ny4xNjk4Mjg0NjU5*_ga_FK6M9RK84Z*MTY5ODI4NDY1OS4xLjEuMTY5ODI4NTM5Ni42MC4wLjA.*_gcl_au*MjEzNzQ3ODA5Mi4xNjk4Mjg0NjU5&_ga=2.215641758.80691600.1698284659-1604013687.1698284659
Or you can also donate through the Save the Elephants organization: Donate Page US – Save the Elephants
