This is so tragic. Once elephants, whales, sharks, and everything else that’s being over-hunted is gone, will those who caused their demise lament and wake up? Probably not.

“It’s like the drug war,” he said later. “If people keep buying and paying for ivory, it’s impossible to stop it.”
That is the key.  Until the market for ivory collapses there will be no end to it.  Africans are doing what it takes to survive, or finance their wars, and in that sense, it is easier to understand the African mind set, than that of a Chinese guy who has a little disposable income and needs a necklace.

#2—I would buy that argument if, as in many decades past, Africa remained an isolated place with little contact from the outside world. But so many trusts and organizations have worked hard to show and convince Africans how far more can be gained by protecting the animals and habitat. Jane Goodall’s organizations among others have set up eco-tourism, developed products and markets, and showed them ways in which more money can be made in sustainable endeavors. Once the elephants are gone, there will be no more money from ivory. The herds are dwindling.

Moreover, indigenous poulations have generally made good use of the animals that are killed. Not in this case. These awesome creatures are felled, their tusks are removed, the rest of the body is left. It’s horribly wasteful.