The Ivory Game Analysis

Words: 1001
Pages: 5

Matthew Gombar
4/19/17
Dr. Randall Fegley
History 191
Review of “The Ivory Game” Rome dominated the Mediterranean basin for more than five centuries. From the frigid northern frontier of Scotland to the rugged deserts of Egypt and the Maghreb; exotic goods poured into the empire that enamored the Roman aristocracy. A hard creamy-white substance particularly captured the minds of the Roman rich and was molded into beautiful pieces of jewelry and art that showcased the status of the collector. This substance is known as Ivory and taken from the tusks of the African elephant. Centuries after the fall empire still saw the East and West very much in love with this substance and willing to go to any length to get it. Hunters centuries onward have
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It is explained in the beginning of the documentary how much of the raw Ivory that is stolen in Africa is shipped to mainland China to be made into luxury goods which is sold in markets across the country. This has turned the ivory trade into a billion-dollar industry. Poachers have no remorse over the death of the African elephant because it helps their profits. The rampant poaching has caused projections for the extinction of the African elephant to occur in no less than 15 years. The documentary moves on to explore the struggles of Craig Miller who is head of security at the Big Life Foundation in eastern Africa to combat poaching in the region. Craig explains how elephants are intelligent creatures and know when they lose one of their family members. With the help of local authorities Craig attempts to investigate the killing of several elephants in the Amboseli Ecosystem located in between Kenya and …show more content…
One of the lead officers in the film makes the point that the illegal ivory trade is used to finance the “Jihad” of Islamic terrorist’s organizations in East Africa. The trade also facilitates the sale of illegal firearms to crime bosses in the area to combat the efforts of the authorities. Syndicates have formed to monopolize the trade of ivory in East Africa, especially Kenya, which generates massive profits for the criminals. The documentary also makes the critical point that a political solution is necessary to stop the illegal ivory trade. Difficulties with this lie in the fact that government store houses of Ivory are broken into regularly. Activists groups in Nairobi propose the destruction of seized shipments of Ivory to lessen the supply. A weakness of this documentary is that it does not fully explore the attitudes toward Ivory in western nations. Brief comments are only made about attitudes towards opinions in the United States. Another weakness in this documentary is its explanation of the business model that is used in the ivory trade. Indeed, the industry relies on an intricate supply chain with a poacher acting as a supplier and the black marketers selling it to middle men who carve it into pieces later sold on the black market. A more in depth explanation would have helped me better understand Crosta’s commentary on the sale of Ivory in