What is Ivory Trade ?
Ivory trade is the removing of elephant tusks and rhino horns for the high price sale of ivory . Ivory is so valuable in some countries that it is known as Africa ’ s white gold . It is illegal in many places to kill animals for ivory . In Sri Lanka for example killing elephants is punished by the death penalty . The people who do the illegal killing for ivory are called poachers . Poachers are known to ride on horseback with AK47s and hand grenades to get their ivory . A lot of each tusk is inside the elephant ' s head as part of its jaw and skull . Poachers sometimes use saws to cut into the face to get the entire tusk .
violently .
An elephant left after being poached
They make so much money that they will do anything to get the horns and tusks . Today , one kilogram of ivory is worth between $ 1,000 and $ 1,500 in the Asian market , and each elephant tusk can weigh 10 kilograms . Just one tusk can be worth around $ 63,000 once it is carved in to various items . Ivory is in high demand in many countries , especially Asian countries . It is used in piano keys , chess pieces , jewelry , and for a lot of religious items including figurines and small statues .