Ivory is one of the most sought after goods in the world, demanding prices that rival or even exceed gold. While elephants have always been hunted for the ivory in their tusks, once colonization and globalization erupted over the past 150 years, their populations have sharply declined from an increase demand.
The problem was so bad that in 1989 there was a meeting in Switzerland that discussed possible solutions on how to ensure the elephant population doesn’t disappear.
Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, and South Africa answered calls to stop the ivory trade to ensure the survival of elephants, yet Zimbabwe took the complete opposite stance with increased success!
Officials in Zimbabwe spoke against banning the ivory trade because they believed the black market would continue to poach elephants and private businesses will no longer be able to ensure their survival to meet market demands.
Instead of working, the bans encouraged the ivory trade, and inside of Zimbabwe the elephant population has since grown!