Ivory Trade and Elephant Welfare

The illegal ivory trade drives the poaching of tens of thousands of elephants annually, causing immense suffering and threatening the survival of African elephant populations across the continent.

Key Facts

An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 African elephants are killed for ivory each year
The 1989 CITES ivory trade ban significantly reduced poaching but illegal markets persist
China closed its domestic ivory market in 2017, delivering a major reduction in demand
UK domestic ivory sales are now banned under the Ivory Act 2018 with narrow exceptions
Poaching causes severe psychological trauma in elephant family groups, which are highly socially bonded

Welfare Considerations

Ivory poaching causes profound suffering at multiple levels. The killing itself is often slow and painful, with poachers sometimes using poisoned arrows or cyanide. Calves who witness their mothers being killed suffer lasting psychological trauma — studies show disrupted social development and increased stress hormones in poaching-affected populations. The breakdown of social structure in poached herds has cascading welfare effects for surviving animals. Anti-poaching rangers who intervene also face serious dangers, creating a human welfare dimension to conservation.

What You Can Do

Support anti-poaching organisations such as Save the Elephants and African Wildlife Foundation
Never purchase ivory products regardless of claimed age or legality
Report suspected ivory sales to enforcement authorities
Advocate for the closure of all remaining legal ivory markets globally
Support community-based conservation that gives local people economic incentives to protect elephants