Elephant Poaching Research Paper

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Pages: 6

Elephant Poaching in Africa The African Elephant is the largest land animal in the world. They can weigh anywhere from 2.5 to 7 tons. Their life span can reach up to 70 years. Elephants are known to be protective and to travel in herds. A big part of their survival is the use of their ivory tusks, which they use to excavate food and water (“African Elephant”). People from around the world travel to African to experience seeing elephants in the wild. Unfortunately, many do not see elephants for the life they represent. Rather, many only view them for the value of their tusks. Elephant population is suffering in African due to poaching for ivory. Ivory trade in china, gun control and poverty are all factors affecting this issue. Although there is a lot being done to prevent elephant poaching, it may not be enough. Elephant poaching has taken a sever toll on the elephant population in African. Research has found that nearly 10 percent of African elephants are being killed for their ivory tusks each year (Main). According to the World Wild Life Organization, this has brought an approximate loss of 111,000 elephants in the past ten years. The staggering numbers represent the current elephant population of 415,000 in the entire country. …show more content…
In the article, UN Helen Clark: The Poverty Link to the Poaching Crisis, blogger, Jamie Joseph narrates her conversation with Helen Clark. According to Forbes, Clark is one of the most powerful women in the world. She is the Administrator of the United Nations Development program, and is currently working of a strategy against poaching. She states that creating a stable income for African families would prevent the need to look for money in the ivory trade. The article suggests that it is hard for struggling fathers to refuse money to feed their families. These men earn more money in a day of poaching than they do in an entire year doing something else