Elephant Stories

Two years after China bans elephant ivory trade, demand for elephant ivory is down
Two years ago this month, China took the monumental step of banning elephant ivory trade within the country. Dec. 31, 2017 was the last day it was legal to buy or sell ivory there.
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Crossing Paths
WWF Magazine: Winter 2020As seasonal waters ebb and flow, the movements of elephants and other wildlife follow. -
Turtles, tigers, and more species receive additional protections at global wildlife meeting
September 11, 2019Governments from around the world recently gathered to discuss the threat of wildlife trade on species.
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Progress in closing elephant ivory markets
August 12, 2019Singapore takes an important step in protecting species from illegal wildlife trade.
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Can we use social media to help save elephants?
WWF Magazine: Summer 2019For Chinese tourists traveling internationally, ivory demand has increased. WWF worked to combat that trend via a social media campaign focused on reaching travelers through Chinese social platforms. -
The status of African elephants
WWF Magazine: Winter 2018In 1930, as many as 10 million wild elephants roamed huge swaths of the African continent. But decades of poaching and conflict have since decimated African elephant populations. -
The status of Asian elephants
WWF Magazine: Winter 2018More than 100,000 Asian elephants may have existed at the beginning of the 20th century, roaming from the Persian Gulf to India and China. But their numbers have dropped in the past three generations. -
WWF’s Ming Yao on why China’s elephant ivory trade ban matters
September 28, 2018WWF spoke with Ming Yao, a member of WWF’s wildlife conservation team who has worked closely with elephant ivory demand reduction projects, to learn more about her point of view on China’s ivory ban and how it has influenced consumer behavior in her country.
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What’s the difference between Asian and African elephants? And 8 other elephant facts
Elephants, found in both Africa and Asia, are vital to maintaining the rich biodiversity of the ecosystems that they share with other species. Here's a snapshot of what you should know about them.
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Collaring elephants in one of Africa's last great wildernesses
April 03, 2018Thanks to satellite collars, 60 elephants will be monitored for better protection against poaching in one of the last great African wildernesses, Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve.
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New US elephant ivory market study helps agencies better regulate trade
WWF Magazine: Spring 2018In 2016, the US government imposed a “near-total ban” on imports, exports, and domestic trade of African elephant ivory. The findings led to recommendations that could help the US regulate the trade. -
Celebrating the biggest conservation wins of 2017
As 2017 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to highlight some of our biggest conservation successes of the year. And we couldn’t have done it without your support.
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Most Chinese consumers support an upcoming ban on elephant ivory in China—if they know about it
By the end of December, it will be illegal to sell or buy elephant ivory in China. But will the new and critical ban succeed in a country that’s home to the largest legal ivory market in the world?
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The right to roam: elephant encounters at a wildlife corridor
August 24, 2017Wildlife roam large areas and do not recognize human-imposed boundaries. They need help doing things like crossing busy roads. This incredible elephant encounter emphasized how important movement corridors are for wildlife.
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Supporters help WWF launch emergency plan to stop Myanmar’s elephant poaching crisis
August 10, 2017Amid a dire poaching crisis, wild Asian elephants in Myanmar received swift and essential aid from thousands of WWF supporters committed to protecting this iconic species. More than 3,000 people donated $263,211 in less than four weeks to fund an emergency action plan to train rangers and get boots on the ground to fight wildlife crime.
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In a disturbing new trend, poachers are killing Myanmar’s elephants for their skin, teeth, and tails
June 06, 2017In a disturbing and growing new trend, Asian elephants of all ages are being slaughtered in Myanmar for their skin and other body parts. WWF is launching an emergency action plan to train, equip, and deploy 10 anti-poaching teams to the most vulnerable areas, and implementing a thorough plan to stop the slaughter.
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Helping people and wildlife thrive together
May 12, 2017Human-wildlife conflict is a major issue for many poor people who live near forests in rural areas of Nepal. That’s one of the reasons why WWF and other partners in conservation launched the Hariyo Ban (Green Forest) program to find lasting solutions that protect people’s lives, livestock and crops and prevent the retaliatory killing of wildlife.
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World Heritage sites, strongholds for tiger and African elephant populations, endangered by illegal harvesting of species
April 18, 2017A new report by WWF reveals that World Heritage sites are especially vulnerable to illegal harvesting of species listed by CITES, including tigers and African elephants.
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Tracking elephant migrations
WWF Magazine: Summer 2017In the first project of its kind in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, WWF—along with the Kenyan Wildlife Service and Narok County Council—is now collaring elephants. -
Tracking elephants in Kenya to prevent human-wildlife conflict
January 26, 2017WWF is partnering with the Kenyan Wildlife Service and Narok County Council to collar matriarch elephants in the Maasai Mara reserve to track them as they move inside and outside of the reserve, in order to better understand how to mitigate human wildlife conflict and to maintain vital wildlife corridors.
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A monumental win for elephants: China will ban ivory trade by 2017
December 30, 2016Today, we celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China’s game-changing decision to end domestic ivory trade by 2017. The new regulations come as part of the government’s efforts to reduce demand for elephant ivory and help end the global elephant poaching crisis.
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Celebrating the biggest conservation wins of 2016
December 01, 2016The past year has shown us that when we work together, we can challenge the threats to nature and help ensure its ability to provide—for the sake of every living thing. Take a look at 2016 in review.
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New research shows investing in elephant conservation is smart economic policy
November 01, 2016WWF’s African Elephant Program funded a research project that used techniques from economics and statistics to better understand the value of elephant conservation to local economies in Africa.
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6 things to know about Tanzania’s largest protected area—and why we need to save it
Selous Game Reserve, one of Africa’s oldest reserves and Tanzania’s largest protected area, holds vast potential, but it also faces a number of threats. By bringing together governments, local communities, industry and civil society groups, we can transform Selous into a success story.
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CITES: Big steps for wildlife
During the world’s largest ever wildlife trade meeting—the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)—governments united behind a series of tough decisions to provide greater protection to a host of threatened species and bolster efforts to tackle soaring levels of poaching and wildlife trafficking.