While frowned upon by pretty much every environmentalist on the face of the earth, the ivory trade is not illegal everywhere, and has found enough would-be buyers to encourage a new outlet for poachers' wares. Enforcement could be an issue, though.

The proliferation in the illegal trade of wildlife species has been aided by the use of the Internet. In a recent report (PDF), the International Fund for Animal Welfare found that about two-thirds of the global online trade in protected wildlife takes place on eBay's platform. The group said that poachers kill more than 2,000 elephants in Africa and Asia annually to meet demand for ivory products.