Roaming the African Savanna are multitudes of magnificent elephants. Feel the vibrations in the air as the elephants communicate with each other. Their large ears flap to cool them off as they continue to roam in search of food and water. In their wake appears a cloud of dust and massive footprints.

African Elephants remain a tourist attraction as a unique feature to the African landscape. However, times have changed. Their coming and going no longer mark the time of day for villagers. Elephant’s tusks represent perfection and purity, which in turn signifies substantial amounts of money. Thus leading to the rapid decline of the African Elephant population.

The height of manliness for wealthy African men used to be to slaughter an elephant and keep their tusks as proof of the kill. From these killings, the tusks began to gain in value. Once other countries heard about ivory the demand boomed. China and the United States have been among the top ivory markets in the world. Ivory became a popular item used for trinkets, jewelry, piano keys, and much more. Ivory trade became an immensely profitable source, leading to increased demands across the globe. As a result of this, there is now a dollar amount on the life of an African Elephant. How can you put a price on the life of such a majestic species?

As the demands increased, the African Elephant population began to suffer. The population plummeted from 26 million in the 1800s to 600,000 by 1989. However, thanks to the work of Richard Leakey, there was hope for the African Elephant population. He persuaded the president of Kenya to publicly burn their stockpile of ivory, which decreased the demand for ivory worldwide. After this event, the African Elephant population rebounded to 1 million. However, this increase was short lived. In 2008, two legal sales of stockpile ivory were allowed, bringing back the high demand for ivory. Why would anybody still allow the sale of ivory? The incentive of money is enough to get people to risk their lives to kill these innocent animals. Since the stockpile sales, an average of 96 African Elephants are poached each day for their ivory tusks. If this does not stop, African Elephants will become extinct in the wild. The extinction of elephants is solely due to the destruction of mankind.

As more and more elephants disappear, their loses are not only hard for humans, but also other elephants. Elephants are extremely intelligent. They grieve the loss of others and have impeccable memories. They remember the faces of their family members even if they have been separated for years. In that regard, their empathetic abilities make these stunning animals more like humans than most people realize. Why would anybody wish death on such beautiful and magnificent animals?

Changes need to happen now. Carl Safina, founder of the The Safina Center, experienced the severity of the issue when he traveled to Africa. The lack of elephants proved devastating, especially when he witnessed the beautiful loving behaviors elephant families have for each other. Due to the high number of slaughtered elephants, there were many orphaned elephants that most of them do not survive. These harsh realities are proof that the African elephant population will not survive if something does not change now.

As a keystone species, elephants are important for maintaining biodiversity in an ecosystem. They use their tusks to dig for water, which allows other animals to drink after the elephants are done. Elephants clear vegetation, which allows for regrowth and helps make trails for smaller animals. They also play a huge role in the dispersion of seeds. Whenever an elephant eats trees and shrubs they transport the seeds and deposit them in a new place through their dung. These are only a few key ways that elephants help maintain an ecosystem. Without the elephants there would be nobody doing these important tasks.

People are now finally starting to realize the severity of this problem. The African Elephant population is dying because of the ivory trade fueled by human demand. Organizations have begun to band together to speak for the elephants. Some of these organizations include the Wildlife Conservation Society, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Horizion Media, and Hard Rock Café. If these big names can speak up, so can you.

Stop ignoring the problem. Learn the harsh reality, change your actions, and encourage others to do the same. Education is the first step to helping the African Elephants survive. If people do not care about them then they will not change their actions. Stop buying products that contain ivory. Even though there are bans on ivory, it still exists in stores and markets. By making the decision to stop purchasing ivory, you are helping save the lives of elephants by decreasing the demand. Sign petitions that support the bans on ivory. 96elephants.org has a petition you can sign and provides more information on how you can help. You can also use the power of the pen to write your government and speak for the elephants. The goal is to have policies and laws to prevent the sales of ivory now and forever. Without these changes, humans will be responsible for the extinction of African Elephants in the wild.

Can you imagine a world without elephants? I cannot. How would you describe the grandeur of these animals to your future children and grandchildren? You may not have to worry about this, if you help end the ivory trade.

Will African Elephants survive into the next century? This depends on whether or not humanity will take action to protect the African Elephants. The time for action is now.