"White Gold" or "Bloody Teeth"?

Call on China to stem the surging demand for illegal ivory that is fueling the slaughter of Africa's remaining elephants.

3993 676 104 113

The exploitation of elephants takes many different forms throughout the world. When they are not being poached for their ivory, they are enslaved as beasts of burden and forced to toil at a relentless pace. Click "More about this issue" to learn more!

Goal: 50,000 • Progress: 34,046

Sponsored by: The Rainforest Site

After facing decimation in the 1980s, a global ban on ivory sales barely saved Africa's elephants from extinction.
Then, in 2008 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) agreed to unleash stockpiles of ivory in a "one-off" sale to China, and the decision kicked off a surge in demand for the coveted "white gold". Rather than reduce the need for black-market ivory and the poaching that supplies it, China's growing middle class wants more.
And they are willing to pay for it. Soaring prices encourage more poaching and attract the attention of armed rebel groups, corrupt government officials, and international criminal organizations. The profits, in turn, fund other illegal activities elsewhere in the world.
2011 and 2012 were especially lethal years for elephants, smashing previous records for illegal ivory seizures, typically captured en route to China. The trend shows no sign of slowing in 2013.
Petition the Chinese Ambassador to the United States to help reverse this bloody path towards extinction.