Blood Ivory

Shopping at my local grocery store today and came across the October edition of National Geographic magazine at the check out.  I was stunned to read that "25,000 elephants were killed last year" and "elephants are being illegally killed across Africa at the highest rates in a decade, and the global religious market for ivory is a driving force." Catholic statues have been made with ivory for centuries, but the church now officially condemns the practice in a bid to prevent the slaughter of elephants for their tusks. Importing ivory has been (officially) banned in the Philippines since 1981 we are told. 
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/09/26/blood-ivory-in-the-philippines/

On the following interactive map, see where elephants are losing ground -- and where the smuggled ivory is going: