An insatiable Chinese demand for ivory and the increasing involvement of organized crime syndicates in smuggling are causing the mass killing of Africa’s elephants, and could trigger a stampede to extinction if unchecked, according to a groundbreaking report released today by Born Free USA and C4ADS. Out of Africa: Mapping the Global Trade in Illicit Elephant Ivory asserts that “poaching and trafficking in ivory is at the highest level in 25 years.” According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, “The more we can attack the ivory trade before the ivory gets to market, the more we can deter these poachers and profiteers from making money off dead elephants.”
Link: NBC News