African elephants are currently being slaughtered at an unprecedented scale and speed since the 1989 international ivory trade ban has been partially lifted. Far Eastern demand from mainly China has risen sharply. As a consequence, global prices for ivory sky-rocket. Illegally obtained ivory in huge quantities is shipped in containers from Africa often through transit countries Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines to Thailand and China. Armies, militias and organized crime syndicates have wreaked havoc upon elephant populations by killing tens of thousands of these animals across the continent and changed the grim face of poaching tremendously. The criminally organized and military nature of elephant poaching and ivory trading in Africa indicates that the business-like structures are well resourced. Illicit wildlife trafficking is being considered as the fourth largest global illegal trade after narcotics, humans and counterfeit products. Despite its wide security implications, the issue is primarily seen as an environmental issue and not as a political priority.