Slaughter of the African Elephants

By Samantha Strindberg and Fiona Maisels

This article is about how African elephants are being slaughtered in central Africa and they may become extinct. Poachers are killing the elephants for their tusks. They sell them and make a great profit. 62% of elephants from central Africa vanished between 2002 and 2011. In China and in other countries "in the far east," there has been an astonishing rise in demand of ivory trinkets, that has really no use. They are buying these tusks and are not aware of the harm that it's causing not only the animals but the environment.

After they kill the elephants they cut the heads off and axe their tusks. Scientists say that elephants are very important to other animals. "The elephants are accomplished gardeners on a grand scale. As they move through their forest home, creating a network of trails used by other animals, they eat and scatter large quantities of seeds over many miles. Sprouting in countless piles of dung, new trees keep the forest healthy and contribute to the clean air we all like to breathe. Elephants also keep open salt-rich forest clearings that serve as giant salad bowls crucial for many animals, including gorillas."

"Poaching is big business, involving organized-crime cartels every bit as ruthless as those trafficking narcotics, arms and people. Existing international laws against money laundering should be used to follow the money trial and to prosecute these criminals."

I think that this is wrong. Killing animals for personal reasons, to use their body parts for unnecessary reasons. I think that this crime should be stopped now and to keep these animals from becoming extinct. they are very important to our society and very important to other animals around them.