When people think of animals in serious danger of extinction, the first things that probably come to mind are bald eagles, wild dogs, and snow leopards. Poaching and hunting have pushed these species to their limits, but one animal people probably don’t see as being in peril is the largest land mammal on Earth.

Even now, elephants are still being hunted for their ivory tusks in Africa, and while the people there are doing everything in their power to stop this tragedy, it simply isn’t enough.

Ivory is in high demand today, especially in China, and the numbers of elephants in Africa are steadily dwindling. While the animals can be protected inside the confines of national parks, the park officials are still faced with a serious problem: how do they protect the elephants that wander outside the boundaries of the protected area?

It’s difficult to keep tabs on the elephants they’re trying so hard to protect, even with tracking collars, and even more difficult to find them once you realize they’re in danger. And even if you do manage to save the elephant’s tusks, it’s rather challenging to hunt down the perpetrators on horseback.

However, until we start looking at this as a more serious issue, nothing can be done; more elephants will be maimed for their ivory and left to rot in the warm African sun, and more poachers will get away with their evil deeds.