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Ivory Ban
NOT FOR SALE: In April 2016, the Kenyan government burned illegal ivory destined for markets in China and other countries.
Each year, thousands of elephants are killed for their ivory tusks. Much of that ivory ends up in China. But China recently announced that it will end its ivory trade by the end of 2017. Conservationists hope the move will help save endangered African elephants.
China’s policy will make it harder for traffickers to sell ivory. That should make it less profitable for poachers, or illegal hunters, to kill elephants. “We are very hopeful that ending the largest ivory market in the world will reduce demand,” says Elly Pepper, a wildlife advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. But, she adds, other nations need to crack down on illegal ivory trading as well to fully protect elephants.
HANDY TOOL: Elephants use tusks to defend against predators and forage for food.
Illegal ivory can sell for $500 per pound. The graph shows the percentage of illegal ivory shipped to various countries from 2006 to 2015. Which two countries accounted for slightly more than half of the ivory market?