1. Illegal Ivory Trade
Made by: Ella McCallie

2. Why am I researching illegal ivory trade?
I LOVE elephants!
African elephants are being harmed. They are being killed for their beautiful ivory tusks even though we have already made it illegal.
Elephants need their tusks. We do NOT!
I wanted to figure out how we can help save these elephants!

3. The Tusks of African Elephants
Tusks are actually teeth called incisors. They are just like all of the other teeth, but longer.
Tusks are made of IVORY.
Elephants tusks act like teeth and are very important in their everyday survival.
Elephants use their tusks for fighting against other elephants, protecting them against predators, digging, lifting things and knocking things down.

4. Ivory Elephants are hunted illegally for their ivory.
In China, ivory is like diamonds. They think it represents wealth and status.
Other animals, like the walrus, the rhinoceros and the narwhal, have tusks made of ivory , too, but they are not as valuable..
The elephant’s tusks have a desirable texture and softness, and the outer covering is not as tough as the other animals.
The prehistoric mammoth, also, had tusks. *Believe it or not. It is NOT illegal to trade mammoth ivory.*
Mammoth
Elephant
Walrus
Rhinoceros
Narwhal
illegal ivory trade
legal ivory trade

5. Mammoths: The Elephant’s Prehistoric Relative
The remains of millions of wooly mammoths were found in Siberia and other places after being frozen for 20,000 years.
Their tusks are even bigger than today’s elephant (the biggest land mammal on Earth)!
It is NOT illegal to trade mammoth ivory. This is really hurting elephants because poachers are trying to get away with selling illegal elephant ivory by pretending it is legal mammoth ivory.

6. What products are being made with ivory??
Many things are being made with ivory.
Things being made with ivory are canes, chess sets and many other things.
The biggest thing being made with ivory is JEWELRY.
We do not NEED ivory.

7. What are poachers?
Poachers are people who kill wild animals illegally.
Killing elephants has gone wild because you can get $600 dollars for something made of ivory.
An estimation for killing elephants is one every 15 minutes.
Poachers have killed over 100,000 African elephants in just 3 years for their ivory.

8. Why should ivory trade be illegal?
Elephants are a lot like us. They play, love each other and are sad when someone in their family passes away. They have feelings, too.
African elephants are an endangered species. That means there are not many left in the world out in the wild.
If we keep buying ivory, poachers will keep killing elephants and they will become extinct for NO REASON!
Click on this link to see how loving and sweet elephants are.
africas-giants/videos/elephant-families-are-just- like-us-they-play-they-love-they-mourn/

9. How does stopping illegal ivory trade benefit US and other animals?
Poachers spread crime and rob communities.
Elephants draw tourists from all around the world. This gives legal jobs to people who live around elephants and don’t have a lot of money or opportunities.
Elephants play an important role in the ecosystem they live in.
They use their tusks in the dry season to dig for water, which helps other animals get water.
They create pathways for smaller animals wherever they graze.
They help spread seeds by leaving dung around full of the seeds of the trees they have eaten.

10. More Interesting Facts about Elephants
Elephants are the largest animals on land.
Elephants are extremely intelligent. They know how to use tools. For example, an elephant in Asia couldn’t reach a piece of fruit so he moved a plastic block over and stepped on it making him just high enough to reach the fruit.
An angry elephant can run 25 miles per hour.

11. Sources
African Elephants 2/22/17
when you ban the sale of ivory,you ban elephants 2/15/17
Stop Wildlife crime 3/8/17
china bans ivory trade 3/10/17
elephants and ivory 3/10/17