THE illegal ivory trade (象牙贸易) has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers (偷猎者) and hunters have killed off hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain this precious material. Now, the areas in which they do it are taking action. The International Union for Conservation (保护) of Nature (IUCN) announced on Dec 3 that key states where poaching takes place have made a promise to stop the ivory trade and protect Africa’s elephants.