Elephant poaching

Elephant poaching is the illegal killing or capture of elephants. It is often driven by demand for ivory from their tusks.

Ivory trade: The buying and selling of ivory, the hard material forming elephant tusks and other animal structures. Demand for ivory is a major incentive for killing elephants.
African forest elephant: A forest-dwelling elephant species native to the tropical forests of West and Central Africa. Its populations have suffered severe declines from ivory poaching.
Ivory: A dense, hard material made primarily of dentine that forms the tusks of elephants and other animals. Understanding the material clarifies why tusks became targets for extraction.
Elephant census: A systematic estimate of elephant numbers and distribution in a defined area. Population counts help assess whether poaching is outpacing conservation gains.
Elephant culling: The deliberate killing of elephants to reduce population size or limit ecological damage. It is a different form of elephant mortality, undertaken by authorities rather than poachers.
Wildlife trafficking: The illegal trade, transport, and sale of wild animals and products made from them. Poached ivory enters wider criminal supply chains for wildlife products.
African bush elephant: The largest living land animal, native to savannas and other habitats across sub-Saharan Africa. Poaching has reduced populations across parts of its range.
Ivory carving: The shaping of ivory into objects, ornaments, and artworks. Carving traditions created markets for tusks long before current conservation campaigns.
MIKE programme: CITES's Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants programme, which tracks elephant carcasses at sites across Africa and Asia. Its data help identify poaching trends and compare pressure across sites.
Legal ivory trade debate: The dispute over whether regulated sales of ivory can reduce poaching or instead stimulate demand and laundering. This debate centers on whether trade restrictions or controlled sales better protect elephants.

Linked from 7 pages