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Reading the fine print on
the poster, Jesse found the an-
swer. “ ‘One elephant tusk can
have as much as 10 kilograms
of ivory.’ That’s just over 22
pounds. For only one tusk! Whoa. That is a lot of ivory from one elephant.”
“I know, Jesse, but look.” Gabriella was pointing to another photo. It showed a dead elephant
on the ground, its tusks cut off, the animal left to rot in the hot sun. “They aren’t even using the
elephant for meat or any other purpose.
“It looks like they are just killing them for their tusks. And then they move to the next el-
ephant.”
“Look at this.” Gabriella found another story on the pamphlets. “Poachers also kill sharks for
their fins. You know, as in shark fin soup. This article talks about how this is affecting the shark
population and the entire ocean ecosystem!”
Jesse was curious. “How can a few sharks affect the whole ocean?”
“Well, the shark is one of the top predators. Without the sharks, the population of their prey
is growing. This impacts the source of food in the area. The whole balance is upset.”
Jesse kept reading. “Poaching is even hurting the economy in some places. Apparently, shark
safaris are huge for tourists. Killing a shark gets the poacher the money for the fin but that’s a
Police try to capture poachers and take away the stolen ivory.
poaching
the illegal hunting of animals
Words to Understand