This digital art remix is a cause and effect piece. In the original image we see many ivory tusks in rows on the African plain. These tusks were seized from poachers who were trying to smuggle them out of the Kenyan border. Poachers are offered top dollar for these tusks because of the high demand for ivory in Asian countries. Ivory was used before plastic to make piano keys, billiard balls, buttons, and other ornamental items. Some people still prefer the traditional ivory to the plastic versions of these products and in turn ivory is a highly sought after product. Poachers can feed their families with a successful ivory trade more than another job that would pay way less. Safari park rangers have to cover a massive amount of land an can not keep all poachers out of their parks. Often times these poachers have weapons that they will use on the rangers if threatened. The statistics are threatening with 35,000 elephants killed per year from poaching. This has caused the African elephant to become endangered in the wild as well as an extreme rise in orphaned baby elephants who need to be rehabilitated in a foster home. The remixed image shows the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant orphanage, where many orphaned elephants are rehabilitated and raised until they can be reintroduced into a game reserve. Although the orphanage is an amazing establishment that raises awareness to the problem at hand, we need to find a solutions to the ivory crisis to help save the future of the African elephant in the wild.
By: Cassie Steen
Original image citation: The guardian.com
