A visitor takes a picture of a carved piece of ivory at an exhibition in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou October 16, 2009. A passion for ivory ornaments such as these is what helped decimate African and Asian elephant populations until a 1989 ban on ivory trade. Today, China's economic rise, and along with it a seemingly insatiable appetite for status symbols by its nouveau riche, has spurred demand for African ivory. Picture taken October 16, 2009. Reuters Pictures 1 week ago

A visitor takes a picture of a carved piece of ivory at an exhibition in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou October 16, 2009. A passion for ivory ornaments such as these is what helped decimate African and Asian elephant populations until a 1989 ban on ivory trade. Today, China's economic rise, and along with it a seemingly insatiable appetite for status symbols by its nouveau riche, has spurred demand for African ivory. Picture taken October 16, 2009.

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