What are Asian elephants hunted for?

What are Asian elephants hunted for?

Like African elephants, Asian elephants have for centuries been hunted for their tusks as a canvas for the art of ivory carving and jewelry making. The demand for ivory led to devastating declines in the number of these giant animals, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s.

Which animal is hunted for its ivory?

Which animals have ivory? Elephants are most known for their ivory, but other animals like the walrus, hippopotamus, narwhal, sperm whale and warthog also have tusks or teeth that are made up of a similar chemical structure.

What is driving the demand for ivory?

Demand for ivory is driving the poaching of African elephants. Conservation experts believe as much as 70 percent of global ivory demand comes from China. However, Namibia and Zimbabwe claim their elephant populations are doing well and want to legally trade their ivory.

Why shouldnt we poach elephants?

Poaching is a threat not only for elephants and other animals, but for the whole global community. Wildlife crime is a huge business, lead by dangerous international illicit organizations, wildlife are trafficked like illegal drugs and weapons.

Why do elephants have to be killed for ivory?

Ivory, which comes from elephant tusks, is considered very valuable. Because of the high price of ivory, poachers illegally kill elephants so that they can take their tusks and sell them. Tens of thousands of elephants are killed each year for their tusks, and as a result, elephant populations have declined rapidly.

Are elephants killed for ivory?

Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. The ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewellery – China is the biggest consumer market for such products. In the 1980s, an estimated 100,000 elephants were being killed per year and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions.

What animal was not used for ivory?

Sperm Whale Orcas have also been a source of ivory over the years, but these two species are not typically animals hunted for their ivory due to the difficulty in procuring them in ancient times, and an international moratorium on commercial whaling today.

How much money does the ivory trade make?

The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth over $10 billion (USD) per year and has drastically reduced many wildlife populations around the world.

Who is buying most of the ivory?

“Our research found that the most likely purchasers of ivory are outbound travelers, millennials, and people from interior Layer 3 cities—the American equivalent of the Midwest,” says Prince.

Is the ivory trade a threat to the elephants?

Even where suitable habitat exists, poaching remains a threat to elephants in many areas. In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the international trade in ivory.

Where does the ivory from Asian elephants come from?

Although most of this ivory comes from poaching of African elephants, Asian elephants are also illegally hunted for their ivory, as well as for their skin. In some countries, political unrest is disrupting antipoaching activities.

Why is the poaching of Asian elephants a threat?

In Asian elephants, only males carry tusks and therefore poaching is aimed exclusively at males. Selective removal of tuskers for their ivory may lead to an increase in the proportion of tuskless males in the population. Poaching of Asian elephants for ivory remains a threat in some countries.

What are the threats to elephants in India?

Habitat Loss. The main threat facing Indian elephants, like all Asian elephants is loss of habitat, which then results in human-elephant conflict. In South Asia, an ever-increasing human population has led to many illegal encroachments in elephant habitat. Many infrastructure developments like roads and railway tracks also fragment habitat.