Persuasive Essay On Ivory Trade

Ivory Trade

Have you or someone in your family ever purchase something made out of ivory? Did you realize that it is illegal to have those items? The ban on purchasing ivory produces in the United States happened in 2014 (Rosen, Meghan). If you do have something made out of ivory, it means that an elephant was killed so you could have it. The population of elephants in the world have defiantly decrease over the last decade. At one time in the United States it was acceptable to have figures carved out of ivory displayed in one’s homes, as well as piano’s which also had ivory keys. Even with the decline of ivory being something a tourist would want as a souvenir, poachers continue to kill elephants to harvest their ivory. In China and Asia having ivory is a show

of wealth and it means something to be able to afford to buy raw or carved ivory. Ivory is used to make works of art, religious objects and decorative boxes for costly objects. In many countries, it is illegal to buy or sale anything that is made out of ivory, but this has not stopped the hunting of elephants for their ivory. Information shows that poachers seem to hunt elephants in the same key areas in Africa (Rosen, Meghan). “Illegal ivory trading has whittled the population of African elephants down to about 400,000. In recent years, poachers have killed roughly 50,000 elephants annually” (Rosen, Meghan). The illegal ivory trade continues to be a major threat to the elephant population.
Currently many countries are really trying to track their elephant populations and keep up with the locations of the elephant carcass to help provide clues to where shipments start from as well as where the ivory is being sent.

When shipments are intercepted they are held within that country. This also encourages government’s that are trying to stop the poachers to do more in their country. This indicates that other factors besides legal ivory trade were to blame for the elephant population changes. Parts of Africa have game preserves, wildlife conservation areas and stricter laws to help stop the killing of elephants. Interviews with ivory industry workers indicated that the two main factors responsible for the decline in most ivory markets were the reduction in ivory supply and the decrease in demand, particularly in the West. The lack of demand was driven down in North America, Europe and Japan by an effective anti-ivory campaigns that created stigma, which made buying ivory ethically unacceptable, and by Western governments passing legislation that made the import of most types of elephant ivory illegal, thus introducing risk of prosecution as a factor in buying foreign ivory (Stiles,

Daniel).
China has the dominant role of any single country for the purchases of raw ivory. They still have people that want to show case their ivory items. In China the purchase of ivory shows that the family has wealth. China also still has craftsman that can take a piece of ivory and turn it into something of great beauty. Chinese craftsmen use ivory to carve images of deities, pipes, daggers, chopsticks, jewelry, ornaments, souvenirs and hair accessories. Thailand has emerged as the most important Asian country for raw ivory and is second to China for worked ivory. These two countries are currently believed to be the main used markets for ivory, but overall China's activity is far greater than Thailand's mainly because of the difference in the size of the two countries. These locations, Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan are thought to act as transit points for the smuggling of ivory onward to China and Thailand. They have showed an overall increased of about 40% from 2010 to 2011 (Underwood Fonti M.). Although international trade in Asian elephant ivory has been banned since 1975, elephant tusks are used all over the world (Underwood, Fonti M.). The biggest market for ivory is in East Asia. Some Asian nations also highly value elephant tusks for their apparent medicinal properties. Even though science has verified the lack of medicinal properties in ivory, there is still a high demand.
In early 1999 the continent of Africa decided that they need the money to set up a Wild life conservation area in their country for elephants. When they were considering this the government thought that a wild life conservation area would be a great help in saving the lives of many elephants. They did not stop to think about what auctioning off ivory would do to the market. The government felt that by auctioning off the ivory from their warehouse they would make enough money to set up the fund, however advocates did not agree with them (Stiles, Daniel). “Anti-trade advocates allege that the1999 southern African ivory auctions provoked a wave of elephant poaching. The reported number of elephants illegally killed in 1999 in Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe was indeed higher than immediately preceding and subsequent years, but, looked at over the longer term, the numbers are not unusual “(Stiles, Daniel). The same government agency also had a second auction of intercepted shipments of ivory. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) an international group felt that after two auctions were held that the number of elephants poached went up. They also, saw an increase in the number of man-made ivory items. “Trade opponents launched an active campaign to prevent the sales, warning that they could provoke a renewed elephant holocaust “(Stiles, Daniel). Many people have advocated to completely stop the sales of ivory, but each country that has native elephants continue do have some poaching. The poaching of elephants is a big business and it is felt that it is now carried out by criminal cartels (Underwood, Fiona M.). Levels of elephant poaching and illegal ivory trading in a country are more likely to be related to wildlife management practices, law enforcement and corruption than to choice. (Underwood, Fiona M.).
Have you or someone in your family ever purchase something made out of ivory? Did you realize that it is illegal to have those items? As long as there is a demand for ivory made produces the slaughter of innocent elephants will not stop. Ivory can fetch as much as $1,000 per pound in some areas. The uses for ivory are primarily decorative. Carved ivory is used to make works of art, religious objects and decorative boxes for costly objects (Rosen, Meghan). The countries that have wild elephants living in their wildernesses cannot completely control what is taking place there. Many of the smugglers have become good at hunting and killing, therefore they get in and out of the area without being caught. They also have buyers lined up before they even go out to get the raw ivory. The illegal ivory trading has scientifically effected the population of African elephants. In recent years, poachers have killed roughly 50,000 elephants annually” (Rosen, Meghan). The illegal ivory trade will continue to be a major threat to the elephant population for as long as people in the world want items made out of ivory.