The trade in ivory is at a record high, despite being banned 20 years ago after a global outcry.
Hauls of elephant tusks found at ports in Africa and Asia reached 24 tons last year, double the figure for 2010. The seizures equate to around 2 500 dead elephants, and conservationists warn the animals are at risk of being wiped out in some parts of Africa.
An investigation by the BBC’s Panorama found elephant numbers in northern Kenya have fallen by a quarter in just three years, mainly due to illegal killing.
A camera crew was taken by police tracking poachers to see the carcass of a dead female elephant, aged between 35 and 40 whose face was hacked off to take her tusks. She was pregnant.
Worldwide, the ivory trade is at its highest level since records began in 1990. Campaigners believe the business is being driven by newly rich Chinese. Officials in China said efforts were being made to clamp down on it.
Reporters follow the ivory to Hong Kong where it is carved by craftsmen into high-end jewellery, ornaments and crockery - much of it sold without the official paperwork required to show it has been legally sourced.
In Asia, wildlife crime is thought to be second only to drugs in terms of profit. The ivory trade is linked to highly organised gangs.
The Panorama report is to be broadcast on BBC1 tonight at 9pm. - Daily Mail