Ivory trade, worldwide
- Every year thousands of elephants are killed for their ivory
Fighting the ivory trade is a constant challenge as those who wish to sell ‘white gold’ put elephants under further pressure. Born Free’s support for anti-poaching continues in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, not only against well-armed poachers, but to hold back the tide of deadly wire snares indiscriminately wiping out wild animals in their hundreds of thousands.
Every year, thousands of elephants are brutally killed for their ivory. The slaughter is horrifying, poachers shoot elephants with automatic weapons and hack off their tusks with axes and even chainsaws. Tragically the ivory trade has a long and bloody history. Born Free helped ensure the first international ivory ban in 1989 and since then has campaigned against attempts to reopen trade. Born Free investigates poaching, exposes illegal ivory smuggling and together with the SSN¹ Elephant Working Group publishes major reports on the extent of the trade, such as ‘Tip of the Tusk’ (2004).
¹Species Survival Network
Download the reports
Ivory Report 2007 - pdf 756KB
The Tip of the Tusk - pdf 232KB
Ivory Report 2004 - pdf 398KB
Ivory trade history
Last century: elephant populations massively declined due to the legal and increasingly illegal ivory trade, together with habitat destruction and increased agricultural production.
1979-89: uncontrolled ivory poaching from 1979 to 1989 halved Africa’s elephant population from 1.3 million to 600,000.
1989: Born Free helped encourage CITES² to ban the ivory trade. The price of ivory crashed and markets in Europe and USA closed. But a handful of African countries wanted to resume trade.
1997: despite Born Free’s best efforts, CITES approved the sale of 60 tonnes of ivory from Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to Japan. Born Free predicted that poaching would continue (see next panel).
1997: CITES reopened a limited legal ivory trade.
1998-99: at least 6,000 elephants were killed and 17,000kg of ivory seized by customs. Born Free estimated this represented just 10-20% of the total slaughter and campaigned to ban the global ivory trade once more.
2000: CITES agreed ‘no more trade’ despite pressure from four southern African countries to sell more ivory to Japan.
2002: Botswana, Namibia and South Africa got permission to sell 60 tonnes of ivory stockpiles. Since 1998 Born Free and SSN estimate at least 90,000kg of illegal ivory has been confiscated by customs, ie 13,000 elephants slaughtered by poachers. And this is just the ‘Tip of the Tusk’, the small visible part of the global ivory racket.
2004: to Born Free’s dismay, CITES approved Namibia’s proposal for ‘non-commercial’ (tourist) trade in worked ‘ekipas’ (cultural ivory carvings).
2006: Born Free is assessing the impact of this decision and preparing for CITES 2007. Only a complete ivory trade ban would send a clear message to poachers.
²Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES regulates trade in threatened animals and plants.
What is CITES?
CITES is a UN convention which seeks to prevent endangered or threatened species of animals and plants being devastated by unregulated international trade. CITES meets every 3 years to debate trade Proposals put forward by 169 member Parties (countries). CITES places ‘at risk’ species in two main categories: Appendix II monitors and regulates trade; Appendix I imposes a commercial trade ban. Born Free, as part of SSN, helps ensure delegates have the information they need to make the right decisions, and fights to uphold the highest possible levels of protection. Born Free battles against those determined to exploit, hunt, kill and trade wildlife. This includes countless wealthy ‘pro-trade’ organizations.
Species Survival Network
SSN is a coalition of 80 wildlife protection organisations working within CITES to reduce the impact of international trade on wild animals and plants. Born Free helped to establish SSN in 1993 and Will Travers is currently chair of the Board and President of the Network. SSN investigates and exposes illegal trade in wild animals and wildlife products.
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