“The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it.” — Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness
Conrad wrote more than a century ago, when there were no laws against shooting elephants. If anything, today’s restrictions on the ivory trade have only increased its value.
The slaughter of elephants and the seizure of illegal ivory have soared to their highest levels in decades. A voracious market in Asia and chaotic wildlife protection in much of Africa have put elephant herds at risk throughout the African continent, particularly in Central and East Africa. Poachers are gunning down whole families, oblivious to game scouts.
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