Dead elephants=ivory to sell on the black market. 200 kilos of ivory=$200,000. 200 kilos of ivory=a lot of dead elephants. Last week when CITES refused to lift the moratorium on ivory sales by African countries the immediate effect was an increase in the amount of ivory on the black market; and the Chinese appetite for ivory is voracious. This has led to an increase in all things illegal in Africa from the timber trade to gun running, and as long as there is a market for it, elephant tusks will continue to be a best seller. The up-and-coming Chinese middle class has is insatiable in their desire for ivory trinkets such as chopsticks, and African countries are more than happy to oblige them.

A seized shipment of elephant tusks.

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