The largest land mammal on Earth is, like so many animals, endangered. The reason behind the depletion in the number of elephants? Poaching. Elephants are killed for their ivory tusks.
The U.S. supports international efforts to stop poaching. That support includes $7 million in annual assistance to Gabon to help secure the largest remaining population of forest elephants in Africa. During his recent trip to Kenya, President Obama announced a proposed ban on the sale of virtually all ivory across state lines, which will eliminate the market for illegal ivory in the U.S.
The first step you can take to conserve animal species is to understand what harms them.
