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Elephant Ivory Project Save Elephants In Africa

Poachers kill elephants at a rate of 10 percent per year. With just 470,000 elephants left in the world, it means that in just a few years wild elephant populations will disappear. From 2008 to 2009, illegal ivory seizures doubled, and the price of ivory has ballooned to record levels.

But the Epicocity Project, a team of National Geographic explorers and conservation filmmakers are determined to stop that from happening. Last week they kicked off the Elephant Ivory Project — a project aimed to save wild African elephants from the illegal ivory trade.

This fall, the explorers will team up with Dr. Samuel Wasser of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington to collect DNA samples from elephants in the remote African jungle. These samples will help to complete a DNA map of illegal ivory poaching hotspots. With this data, scientists can pinpoint where illegal ivory is coming from and send resources to stop it in those areas. For that expedition, the Epicocity crew is venturing to a country considered too dangerous and remote for scientists to travel — the Democratic of Congo.

“I hope to address the two largest issues affecting elephants by going into the jungle with a backpack full of camera gear to document the herds and leaving the jungle with a backpack full of elephant poop to complete the DNA map, Trip Jennings of The Elephant Ivory Project said. The team hopes to use the expedition to educate the U.S. and beyond by producing video, television and print media on the current situation of African elephants and urge leaders and the public to stop elephant poaching.

Wasser, who spent three decades in Africa, works with INTERPOL, using his pioneering methods of wildlife forensics — matching DNA from elephant dung to DNA from confiscated ivory to map elephant poaching hotspots.

Last year, using this technology,  INTERPOL arrested more than 100 people and seized more than 2 tons of illegal ivory in the largest-ever transnational operation targeting wildlife crime across Africa. It’s hard to believe that just 20 years ago, a global uproar secured a sweeping ban on the international ivory trade. But today, there’s no doubt about it — the ivory trade is booming.

Before the Epicocity teams journeys to Congo, they have to research where the illegal ivory is being sold… Asia.

The Epicocity team is in the epicenter of it all. Bangkok has the largest ivory market in Asia — with most of that ivory coming from African elephants.

While in Thailand, Epicocity explored Bangkok’s bustling streets to uncover the hottest spots to buy ivory and talked to people in Asia who are leading the conservation effort… And of course they fit in some time to meet the incredible animals that they’re trying to save.

“Elephants are amazing creatures — intelligent, gentle and powerful. It’s heartbreaking to know that poachers kill more than 100 elephants every day,” team-member Andy Maser said. “But it’s not hopeless. Twenty years ago, with a global upwelling of support, the ivory trade was stopped, nearly overnight. We can do that again.”

The team has already secured a $10,000 National Geographic Channel grant, but they still have to raise $50,000 more for their expedition. To donate and to learn more about what you can do to save elephants, our mission and objectives, The Elephant Ivory Project website.

Story by: Emily Nuchols and Mark Jobman

Photos by w/© Kyle Dickman, Epicocity Project.