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1 Creamy in color and perfect for carving, ivory has long been sought after for art, for practical uses, and simply for its beauty. Once considered as valuable as gold, ivory has several properties that have created and sustained its worth. It does not easily burn; it is generally unharmed by water; it polishes to a beautiful luster; and it is extremely durable. These were considerable virtues in the days before plastics. Since then, ivory's beauty and peerless qualities have continued to make it intensely desirable. Unfortunately, the beauty of ivory comes at a terrible cost.
Sources of Ivory
2 Although ivory comes from walruses, narwhals, and a few other animals, when most people talk about ivory, they are referring to elephant ivory. Of the two types of elephants, the African elephant and the Asian elephant, the ivory that we are most familiar with comes from the tusks, the long and pointed teeth, of the African elephant. This is mainly due to the fact that while male Asian elephants have tusks, female Asian elephants have either very small tusks or no tusks at all. However, the tusks of both male and female African elephants yield substantial and profitable amounts of ivory.
A photo shows an African elephant with large tusks
3 The ivory trade centers on African elephants, the best source of the coveted material: African elephant tusks are huge. Each tusk can weigh fifty pounds and measure six feet long. About a third of the weight and size of the tusk is inside the elephant's head. Sadly, this means that a tusk cannot be removed like a tooth. Instead, the elephant is killed to get the entire tusk.
The Beginning of the Ivory Trade
4 The prosperity of Europe and the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century led to the brisk growth of the ivory trade. Wealthy people clamored for ivory piano keys as well as for ivory combs, billiards balls, and knife handles. They also wanted works of art carved from ivory.
A photo shows an ornate carving made of ivory
5 Elephant hunters and ivory traders were quick to meet the demand. They swept into areas of Africa where the elephants roamed. As they did so, they changed those places forever. They not only killed the elephants, but they also kidnapped local people to help them do their work. Villages, even cultures, were destroyed for the sake of ivory.
Elephant Populations Decline
6 Hunters and traders created a network that reached around the world. As a result of the trade in ivory, the population of African elephants, which National Geographic placed at approximately 26 million in 1800, was reduced drastically in a single century. By 1900, there were just 10 million African elephants left.
7 By 1979, there were only 1.3 million African elephants left. Although the demand for ivory in the West was now falling, in Asia, demand was skyrocketing. Ivory products, long a symbol of wealth and prestige in China, were sought after like never before. The number of African elephants plummeted to 600,000 by 1989.
The United Nations Acts
8 People around the globe began to notice and to speak out against the possible disappearance (or extinction) of the African elephant. Finally, the world acted. In 1990, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a United Nations effort, banned the ivory trade worldwide. As a result, elephants started to make a comeback; by 1999, their population had returned to approximately one million.
9 Unfortunately, saving elephants had a negative economic effect on some people. In 1999, in response to pressure from business interests that were losing money because of the ban on the ivory trade, CITES allowed limited trade in stockpiled tusks. Ivory that already had been harvested from elephants could once again be bought and sold.
10 But disaster for the African elephant followed. Poachers, or illegal hunters, rushed to kill more elephants. Many people had foreseen that illegal trading of ivory would flourish again if any trading at all were allowed. Following the CITES decision, African elephants died in large numbers. A 2014 New York Times editorial reported that approximately 30,000 to 35,000 African elephants were killed each year. Only a complete ban of the ivory trade can save the African elephant from extinction.
A photo shows an African elephant walking with her young
The World Reacts
11 Groups such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Clinton Foundation, and Save the Elephants have been especially vocal in their protests against the illegal killing of elephants. In addition, many countries have demonstrated their disapproval of the ivory trade by crushing or burning ivory stockpiles and objects. The Atlantic magazine reported that in 2013, China crushed 6,000 tons of ivory. It added that “over the next two years, Hong Kong will embark on the world's largest ivory burn, setting 28 tons of illegally harvested tusks aflame to signal a shift in its valuation of elephants.”
A line graph titled Confiscated Illegal iIvory, in Kilograms, shows 14,000 kilograms of ivory were confiscated in 2004, 12,000 kilograms in 2005, 16,000 kilograms in 2006, and 17,000 kilograms in 2007.
12 Other countries have also joined in the protest. In 2014, the United States, the world's second largest market for ivory, announced a ban on the trade in elephant ivory within the U.S. Unfortunately, many other countries have not yet acted to outlaw the buying and selling of ivory, demonstrating their disregard for the survival of the African elephant.
13 Elephants are not the only ones to suffer as a result of the ivory trade. Today, money made in the illegal ivory trade goes to fund terrorism. This makes everyone who has anything to do with the ivory trade, including consumers, supporters of worldwide terrorist circles.
14 Consumers around the world need to be educated about ivory's true cost. Some do not realize that an elephant was killed in order for their ivory chess set, jewelry, or statue to be made. They don't understand the connection between ivory and terrorism. In these days of high-quality plastics, no one needs ivory, but we all need elephants. Let's not add elephants to the list of animals that are now extinct because of human greed and ignorance.
Which of these best describes the cultural context of this passage?
The culture does not realize the terrible cost of the ivory trade, so the author is educating her readers to change their thinking and consumer behavior.
The culture understands the destructive nature of the ivory trade. The author is encouraging her readers in their pursuit to change public policy.
The culture is aware of the damaging effects of the ivory trade, but is indifferent. The author seeks to educate and change the readers' minds on the topic.
The culture is actively aquiring and trading in ivory for the purpose of personal gain. The author is reprimanding her readers for their greed.
Bot GPT 3.5
answered