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.