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Leticia Cruz
Doctor Dr. Lynda Haas
Writing 37
30 January 2015
Extinction of Elephants
The human race has a tendency to place a high value on ordinary objects and materials.
Such as money, its only paper, but people will commit murder to obtain more paper that
has social significance. This is the case with ivory, society has placed a large value on this
item for its monetary worth This was confusing to my peer reviewer and Dr. Haas so I took it
out. The human race has a tendency to value and collect rare commoditites such as ivory; this is
why the tusks of elephants are so valuable. There are rebel and terrorist groups that are have been
informed of the value of ivory tusks, especially from elephants. Ashish Kumar Sen an author for
the The Washington Times has written over the topic of terrorist groups benefiting from ivory.
Richard Schiffman has as well written an article in the NewScientist over the benefits terrorist
groups receive from poaching elephants, while. Finally Catrina Stewart from the The
Independent goes over the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. According to Schiffman we should solve
the issue of illegal ivory trade by changing the value our culture places culture values placed on
ivory, while although, Sen focuses on how the mentions that the government has the power to
stop wildlife trafficking;, while Stewart states that something, anything has to be done to stop the
trade. Revision strategy, I corrected grammar mistakes for a controlling idea.
The trade of ivory has been on the rise because the value of it is increasing and the
poaching of it is assessable to almost everyone. Terrorist groups know this information

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information revision strategy, correcting gramma so they receive the majority of income from
selling ivory on the black market. (Stewart 1). Sen would agree with this and also contribute
with another source, Andrea Crosta, executive director of Elephant Action who stated that For
al-Shabab, ivory, like charcoal, is just a fast and relatively easy way to make some cash, which is
needed first of all pay to its militants, estimated around 5,000 people. (1) These two scholars
would agree that terrorist groups are not ignorant to the fact that ivory is worth a lot money of
money. Just by selling a few tusks rebels and terrorist make enough money to buy more weapons
to terrorize others. Terrorist are also Armed with AK-47 machine guns, and with bows and
arrows that are sometimes poisonedthey target the calves first in the knowledge that the older
elephants will bunch up to try to protect them. (Stewart 1) Not only that, but there are also
government officials who are corrupted and will accept bribes from terrorist. African
governments are corrupted which is a cause to why the ivory trade is hard to control and to
endstop. Changed the wording Stewart believed tThis is a problem because most terrorist
groups find and obtain elephant tusks from the majority of elephants in Africa. Sen would
respond to Stewarts belief Revision strategy: having the sources engage in conversation this by
saying that the U.S. government is hoping to collaborate with other national governments to
develop an approach to stop wildlife trafficking.

Schiffman, an author in the New Scientist, revision strategy, introducing the source and it
gives them credentials argues that society needs to change the social value ivory has, especially
in China. But this is hard to do since society is not adaptable to change, . with growing demand
from a more wealthy middle class in Asia, particularly in China and Thailand, the price of ivory
on the international black market has soared, triggering a dramatic increase in elephant poaching
across Africa (Sen 1) Sen would agree with Schiffman, as mentioned there has been an increase
for ivory. But, there is hope as to stopping the trade of ivory, the extinction of elephants is not

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inevitable. Relatively wealthy Namibia and South Africa have so far kept elephant poaching
largely in check through political stability, aggressive patrolling and community-based
conservation. (Schiffman 1) The wealthier African nation officials do not accept bribes since
they are better off than corrupt individuals. He as well mentions that elephants can be saved in
the future by predicting poachers hotspots in African areas. By doing this officials can be on the
scene to arrest the poachers, protecting the elephants who are defenseless against these kind of
attacks.
The poaching of wild elephants in Africa is a crisis because there is a high demand for
ivory from many people. This reinforces terrorist and rebels to kill elephants for their tusks.
Shciffman believes that in order to stop the murder of elephants, society needs to change the
value it has put on ivory. By doing so, there wont be monetary value on elephant tusks and
terrorists are forced to stop their poaching. This is one of the solutions, Sen mentions that there
.needs to be government intervention this will, and can put an end to the poaching of elephants.
Stewart would agree with Schiffman and his idea that the value of ivory needs to decrease in
order for terrorists to stop and also stop to the availability of buying weapons of terror. If nothing
is done to stop the poaching of elephant tusks then they will be extinct within ten years. Our
grandchildren will never have the opportunity to see or feed an elephant. Not only that, but
terrorist are easily able to make money to supply their need of weapons, with this in mind they
can attack anyone. Revision strategy: peer reviewer recommended that I should delete this
sentence

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Work Cited
Sen, Ashish Kumar. "Terrorists Slaughter African Elephants, Use Ivory to Fina
Operations." Washington Times. The Washington Times, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Jan.
2015.
Shiffman, Richard. "Ivory Poaching Funds Most War and Terrorism in Africa." - Environment.
New Scientist, 14 May 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
Stewart, Catrina. "Illegal Ivory Trade Funds Al-Shabaab's Terrorist Attacks." The Independent.
Independent Digital News and Media, 06 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2015