However, in addition to the American poachers cited above, Tim Gettleman at the NY Times reported in 2012 that the ascending Chinese middle class is the primary culprit fueling the demand for ivory.
Gettleman quoted a U.S. State Department official regarding the matter:
“China
is the epicenter of demand,” said Robert Hormats, a senior State
Department official. “Without the demand from China, this would all but
dry up.”
He said that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who condemned conflict minerals from Congo a few years ago,
was pushing the ivory issue with the Chinese “at the highest levels”
and that she was “going to spend a considerable amount of time and
effort to address this, in a very bold way.”
In the past, there were many practical uses for ivory; today, as pointed out by Rebecca J. Rosen at the Atlantic, plastic has superseded ivory in many cases, including piano keys. Unfortunately, Rosen explains, "ivory's usefulness, combined with its warm luster and its receptivity to engravings, meant that it gained stature as a luxury good from the get-go."
In other words, Rosen suggests, ivory ranks up there with diamonds as a cultural symbol.
SaveAnimalsFacingExtinction.org reminds us:
At the end of July, President Obama, with support of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, announced new measures to stem the ivory trade, including a ban on the interstate sale of most ivory in the U.S. and new restriction on when ivory can be exported.
These measures help to send the message that the US will NOT tolerate the senseless slaughter of elephants and other animals.
We need to make sure important legislation like this has the support it needs to be put into full effect. We need to take action and make sure these regulations fully protect our precious elephants.
Thanks for your support, SaveAnimalsFacingExtinction.
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