09/15/2026
A tusk is not a trinket. It is part of a living elephant.
Elephants rely on their tusks throughout their lives. They use them to dig for water and roots, strip bark from trees, move objects, defend themselves, and carry out many other daily tasks. Tusks are not separate from the animal’s life. They are teeth that continue to grow and serve important physical and social functions.
Ivory trafficking has helped fuel devastating poaching across elephant populations. Once removed and traded, a tusk may be carved into an ornament or sold as a luxury item, but it came from a living animal whose survival was placed at risk by human demand.
Around the world, many Indigenous cultures and local communities understand animals as relatives, teachers, and beings with roles in the wider balance of land and life. Conservation is strongest when it recognizes that wildlife is not simply a resource, but part of living ecosystems and cultural landscapes.
Protecting elephants includes reducing the demand for ivory and supporting efforts that keep elephants alive in their habitats. It also means recognizing the knowledge of communities who live closest to wildlife and often carry long-standing responsibilities to the land.
When we see ivory, we should remember the elephant it came from and the life it was part of.
How can communities help shift public understanding away from wildlife as a commodity and toward respect for living animals?
