For the past year, it seemed like nothing would go right for African elephants. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) revealed in a report that in 2012, 22,000 elephants were killed in Africa. 22,000 in one year alone. In that same report, it was estimated that if the rate at which elephants were being killed remained pretty much the same for the next 10 years, then 20% of Africa's elephants would be wiped out. That is a huge decrease in an already dwindling population. Though many local communities in Africa took certain measures to lower the amount of killings that were occurring, there continued to be little response from the international community.
    Many people thought that poaching was getting out of control and that little could be done to stop it. Now, that has all changed. Nations around the world are finally taking action against this mindless killing. At the African Elephant Summit in Botswana, thirty nations signed an agreement to adopt fourteen measures to protect elephants and other wildlife crime victims. These measures include classifying wildlife trafficking as a serious crime, strengthening cross-border law enforcement, and reining in demand for ivory in Asia with information campaigns. One of the thirty nations to sign the agreement was China, which is the largest ivory consumer in the world. This is a huge step towards stopping the poaching of elephants and in turn, stopping the illegal ivory trade. Hopefully, these new international measures will turn the tide in the fight for elephants and finally give these amazing creatures a reprieve.

"A Voice for Elephants" is a blog that can be found on National Geographic's website. It is a great source of information about all the latest happenings in the world of elephants and the people who are trying to save them. It is also a great place for discussion and a rally point for all those who want to get involved in the fight for elephants. 

How could anyone be so cruel to take the tusks of a peaceful animal and discard the rest of their bloodied body? These are not pigs that are raised for slaughter! These are highly intelligent creatures who have an impact on their respective habitats. These are creatures who are already endangered and are facing the real possibility of going extinct. Due to poaching, their populations are decreasing at alarming rates. A recently published study predicts that the population of African elephants will decrease by one-fifth as a result of poaching. One-fifth! That is crazy! Don't these horrible people realize that if they drive elephants to extinction then the ivory trade will be severely hurt? They are going to run their own business into the ground due to their greed and selfishness. This is no longer the same world where humans used up the earth's resources as if they were limitless. This is the time for conservation! To keep this world good for future generations. It is stupid to think that these people can just kill these poor elephants and not face any consequences. It may not happen right away, but it will eventually. Eventually, elephants will be extinct due to human conflicts and then there will be no ivory trade. What are these people going to do then? Force some other animal into extinction? I understand why animals should be killed to control biodiversity or to control populations, but there is no fear of elephants running all of the other animals out of the watering hole. There are not enough of them to worry about their population getting out of control. However, biodiversity is going to be hurt. The killing of the animals will decrease the biodiversity of their habitat and of the world, which does not need to be face with even more environmental problems. These people just need to get off their high horses and realize that what they are doing is wrong. They're hurting one of the most incredible animals on this earth, an animal that is very similar to humans, an animal that could have potentially become the dominant species of the earth if evolution had worked out that way. These animals help the world so much and teach us so much; do you really want to see them go extinct? They're beautiful and majestic and just all around amazing. You've already plagued elephants for decades, do you really need to continue to do so? Is it really worth it to kill this species, and maybe even subsequent species, off the face of the earth? You give humans a bad name for your greed and carelessness, you make those of us with a conscious sick. You're horrible and cruel and should not be doing this to creatures who mind their own business and have so much to offer the world. It kills me to see my favorite animal ever slowly dying off. I don't want to live in a world where my kids never get to ride an elephant at the Renaissance Festival or they never get to be fascinated by just how big elephants are or by just how smart they are. I don't want to read stories about elephants to them, I don't want to explain what happened to them. Elephants should not be a story, they should a be a relevant part of life. I don't want any of the kids in the future to learn about elephants the way I learned about dodo birds or mammoths or saber-tooth tigers. I never imagined that when I grew up, the animal that I had loved since I was two would be gone. I never imagined that I would have to live my life without ever being able to meet an elephant baby and make it my own. I never imagined that I would not be able to join the fight to stop the poaching of elephants. The very thought depresses me. What's happening now needs to stop. For the sake of this generation and every generation after it. For the sake of the elephants, who are fighting what seems like a losing battle. This needs to end so the world can say it came out victorious in at least one thing. This needs to end so that other conservation efforts can be given more time and effort. This needs to end to make the world a better and more long-lasting place every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. This needs to end.