Thursday, August 27, 2015

Mapping the Illegal Trade in Elephant Tusks


National Geographic hid GPS trackers inside artificial elephant tusks in order to track the trade routes used in the illegal smuggling of ivory. Tracking the Illegal Tusk Trade maps the journey of the artificial tusks from the south east of the Central African Republic to Ed Daein in Sudan.

The tusks were transported 592 miles in total. At their latest known location the temperature sensors in the tusks suggest they are now being held inside a building or buried beneath the ground.

As well as showing the route taken by the smugglers of the artificial tusks this National Geographic interactive includes maps of elephant poaching hotspots in Africa, the trade routes used by the smugglers and the main locations where the tusks are exported from Africa to Asia.

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