Poaching of elephants in Africa has surged in recent years, driven by ivory prices that have more than quadrupled since 2004. Bans on killing elephants are difficult to enforce, partly because authorities don’t often know where on the vast continent the poaching is happening.
Scientists had previously attempted using DNA analysis to trace the origins of confiscated tusks, but the information was too imprecise to aid law enforcement. Now, scientists have demonstrated that they can trace the ivory to a single country.