SBS Dateline | The Last Elephant

The illegal ivory trade is devastating the elephant population in parts of Africa. A record 23 tonnes of tusks were seized last year, which equals the slaughter of around 2,500 elephants.

Dateline has a special, international investigation – starting in the jungles and plains of central Africa, where the battle between poachers and the authorities is becoming increasingly violent.

With the trade being driven by rising demand for ivory in China – which has seen prices increase fourfold in just a year – Dateline will show hidden camera video of the ivory being sold illegally in Africa – and then tracks illegal shipments as they make their way to Asia.

The undercover report comes as elephant populations in some African countries are now verging on total collapse.

WATCH - Unfortunately this special report by the BBC’s Rageh Omaar is no longer available for copyright reasons, but you can still read the transcript here.

FACTS AND FIGURES - Read more about the huge figures surrounding the ivory trade and find out about the controversial legal ivory sales, which critics say have encouraged the illlegal trade.

FIGHTING THE TRADE - A full list of links to the groups working to stop the ivory trade featured in this report.

REPLAY: ELEPHANT REFUGE - Watch Aaron Lewis's report from October 2010 with more on the work of the elephant orphanage featured in this story.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? - We'd like your views on the ivory trade... go to our comments page to tell us what you think.

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