In Kenya alone, in the 1970s and 1980s, the elephant population decreased from 170,000 to 25,000. The sharp drop in number was the result of poachers (偷猎者) illegally killing elephants for their ivory. The price of ivory went up from $3 a pound to $50 to $100 a pound. Africa became very attractive to poachers. Bull elephants carried larger tusks (象牙), so they were more often killed. With males gone and older females killed by poachers as well, there were many young elephants unable to benefit from the wisdom of the older females and matriarches, who lead the herds.

　　Kenya took a stand that international trade in ivory was officially forbidden, and $3,000,000 worth of confiscated(没收的)ivory was burned in Kenya. The following year, only 50 elephants were lost to poachers in Kenya instead of 3,000. But Kenya has the fastest growing human population in the world. People throughout Africa won’t tolerate elephants eating their crops and destroying their livelihoods. In South Africa, elephants live behind the fences of national parks. In some parts of Africa, big－game hunters pay a lot of money to hunt elephants. This keeps their numbers down, and the money goes toward conservation. In Kenya, there are some attempts at birth control to keep the elephant population in manageable numbers to reduce conflicts with people.

　　Faced with a growing human population, elephants are losing the battle for space. It’s unlikely, though, that they will become extinct(绝种的). They will live in natural parks that bring tourists to Africa as well as India and other parts of Asia. The money from tourism will help elephants to survive.

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