Educational Media Reviews Online

In this short documentary, Eric Campbell, a foreign correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, presents an eyewitness report on the investigation of environmental crime against elephants in Tanzania and how it relates to the international illegal ivory trade. Due to a hunting and poaching epidemic in the country, the Tanzanian elephant population has declined drastically - by forty per cent in the past three years. Campbell discovers that the majority of the elephant’s tusks emerge in Asia, particularly in China, where they are used for ivory carvings, jewelry, trinkets, chopsticks, and many other products. He points out that “it’s been illegal to harvest ivory for sale since 1989 but the surge and demand from China has made a mockery of the international ban.”

In an effort to protect the wild elephants’ population, many local activists and rangers have declared an unofficial war against illegal hunting and chosen to risk their lives, fighting against much better equipped and armed poachers. Although the activists use a variety of methods and strategies, in a low-income country with high level of corruption, such as Tanzania, they are faced with a very challenging mission.

During the investigation, Campbell and his crew show the audience how simple the process of making a connection with ivory sellers and traders is. Jeopardizing their security, the filmmakers pose as potential buyers and easily set up an introductory meeting with local traders from the black market in Dar Es Salaam. The meeting is recorded on a hidden camera and included in the documentary.

While the film touches on the necessity of the international community in motivating the local and national authorities to manage the situation, it does not explore the topic further. More weight could be given to this report by studying the roles and plans of international constituencies, especially in China, in finding possible solutions to curb the poaching epidemic and to stop the illegal ivory trade.

Where Have All the Elephants Gone? is a realistic, provocative, and informative report. It can be used for many educational programs that study the topics related to crime against animals, preservation of biological diversity, illegal business, corruption, law enforcement, and many others. The OCLC WorldCat catalog indicates that this title has already been added to more than 170 collections of academic and public libraries worldwide.