ElephantVoices has launched a campaign against the ivory trade based on the creation of two powerful pieces of graphic art by New York artist, Asher Jay. The artwork with the slogans, EVERY TUSK COSTS A LIFE; DON'T BUY IVORY and EVERY TUSK COSTS A LIFE; STOP THE TRADE target the both potential buyers, and decision-makers, expressing our view that the only way to stop the wanton slaughter of elephants is to choke demand for ivory and stop all trade. There are English versions of both artworks/slogans, and Chinese versions of the artworks with the DON'T BUY IVORY slogan. You can see all versions in a slideshow by clicking on one of the artworks.

The whole chain of countries and people involved, from the buyer of ivory to the poacher on the ground, have to be inspired and forced to stop the killings. As a new superpower, and currently consuming a huge volume of ivory, China has a special responsibility to ensure that the killing stops.

With help of collaborators, ElephantVoices is trying to reach out around the world with these messages. We need your assistance, too. Millions of people, potential buyers of ivory, don't know that elephants are dying in record-high numbers for trinkets and decorations. We urge any and all to spread these messages far and wide.

Please go to ElephantVoices Document Center to download the appropriate files. Keeping the artist's name and ElephantVoices intact, in due respect of copyright, spread the message in every way you can. Share on your Facebook page and on social networks in Asia and elsewhere. Make T-shirts, bumper-stickers, posters, and banners. Wear them, give them to friends, put them on your house, your car, your backpack. Arrange walks, meetings, contact your local media, discuss with your friends. Act NOW. The writing is on the wall for elephants.

You can check out all files available via this link, and download the file(s) of your choice for any non-commercial purpose meant to reduce the global trade in ivory and poaching of elephants.

Artwork 1: Yellow Stars Shed Light (Note that the elephant in Chinese characters, spells China).

There are too many people buying ivory in too many countries. The current demand for elephant tusks is unsustainable and is swiftly mining Africa's elephants. The largest demand is in China and, hence, the Chinese government and her people have a special responsibility for taking a lead to end the decimation of elephants. China was permitted to buy a restricted amount of ivory from stockpiles, a decision by the international community that has caused immense harm to elephants. Ninety percent of the ivory available in China is from slaughtered elephants, illegally sourced, traded and sold. Chinese buyers deserve to know that tens of thousands of elephants are being killed to supply them with ivory. Every tusk costs a life.

China has the ability to raise public awareness and to enforce their strict laws to quickly strangle the trading, buying and poaching. China can stop her countrymen causing the destruction of Africa's heritage and biodiversity, while concurrently protecting her enormous investments on the African continent. We urge China to take action now to end any trade in ivory - we cannot afford to lose Africa's keystone species. 中国 Zhōngguó means China. Star power is needed to save Africa's elephants from extermination.

Artwork 2: Family Values

An elephant's "ivory" tusks are enervated teeth composed of dentine that grow throughout life, adding two centimeters each year. They are not shed like antlers, they do not drop out and they just cannot be removed from living elephants. To obtain them you must hack them out with an axe. The tusks of male elephants are much larger than those of females. Poachers target elephants with the largest tusks, killing the mature, breeding males first. When they are all dead and gone, poachers set their sights on younger males.

Elephant societies today resemble human communities after a prolonged war - most of the elephant patriarchs, the big tuskers, are gone. There are no role models for the elephant sons. As the number of adult males available to kill declines, poachers turn to the older females - the leaders of elephant society. They kill the family elders first, taking out the matriarchs, one by one. As the price of ivory increases with rising demand, the poachers slaughter the elephant mothers and daughters, even entire families. An elephant's child, like a human child, cannot survive without the loving care of its mother. Africa's elephant orphans are succumbing in droves to starvation, grief and death. Ivory traders and buyers are wrecking havoc on Africa's elephant families. The world has a moral obligation to protect elephant societies, surely a crucial test of human values.