0:00:10 > 0:00:11Hi, morning, guys. It's Monday.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14I'm Naz and this is Newsround.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16First up, we are off to South Africa
0:00:16 > 0:00:18where there's been some important news about the protection
0:00:18 > 0:00:20of elephants this weekend.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Jenny is in South Africa for us now with more.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Hi, Jenny.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Hello, Newsrounders, welcome to Johannesburg in South Africa.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I'm here because thousands of elephants are being illegally
0:00:32 > 0:00:35killed every year across Africa for their ivory tusks.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I've spent the last week finding out why elephants are so important
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and what is being done to stop that happening.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44The biggest ever meeting of the world's countries to talk
0:00:44 > 0:00:48about how to protect wildlife is happening here.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52And last night they agreed to call for a ban on the buying
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and selling of all ivory.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The killing of elephants is a massive problem here in Africa
0:00:58 > 0:01:04and I've been looking into it.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Elephants are some of the most famous
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and most loved animals on the planet.
0:01:12 > 0:01:22Just a few decades ago, there were millions of them, but now
0:01:27 > 0:01:29they are close to extinction.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30A huge census which recorded the number
0:01:30 > 0:01:32of elephants and where they live
0:01:32 > 0:01:33was completed this year.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36They used a plane to fly across 18 African countries, from West Africa
0:01:36 > 0:01:38right down to South Africa, where I am now.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39The results?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41They were shocking.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44They found that, in seven years, one in three of Africa's
0:01:44 > 0:01:45elephants has disappeared.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Elephants Without Borders, a group involved in the census,
0:01:50 > 0:01:57say that around 30,000 elephants are being killed each year.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Since 2007, Africa has lost roughly 144,000 elephants
0:02:00 > 0:02:01because of poaching.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04That is when they are illegally hunted and killed for
0:02:04 > 0:02:08their ivory tusks, which can be sold for huge
0:02:08 > 0:02:12amounts of money around the world, as part of the ivory trade.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16They are now being killed faster than new elephants are being born.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Unless something is done to stop poaching, it is feared that
0:02:18 > 0:02:21elephants could die out within our lifetime.
0:02:21 > 0:02:30This is where it gets confusing.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Countries selling ivory to each other isn't allowed, but selling
0:02:32 > 0:02:34antique ivory is still allowed in some countries.
0:02:34 > 0:02:41It all started in the 1800s.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44A fashion for ivory objects like combs and piano keys
0:02:44 > 0:02:46and elephant tusks became really popular.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48For the next 100 years, thousands of elephants were killed
0:02:48 > 0:02:49every single month.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52In 1989, the buying and selling of ivory to
0:02:52 > 0:02:54different countries was banned, which helped the numbers of
0:02:54 > 0:02:58elephants in the world to go up again.
0:02:58 > 0:03:05But, in 1999 and 2008, two ivory sales were
0:03:05 > 0:03:06allowed to happen which kick-started more poaching,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08people think.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Since then, the illegal ivory trade has not stopped.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Poachers are still killing elephants for their tusks, and the ivory is
0:03:14 > 0:03:17still being sent around the world by networks
0:03:17 > 0:03:20of criminals, mostly to places like China
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and Vietnam, where they can be carved into things like
0:03:23 > 0:03:26ornaments or jewellery.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28They are different opinions about whether or
0:03:28 > 0:03:32not the ivory trade should be allowed.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Some countries say they should be allowed to buy and sell
0:03:35 > 0:03:37ivory to raise money to look after elephants.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But many other countries say the only way to stamp out
0:03:40 > 0:03:48poaching is to ban the trade on ivory completely.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53Campaigners say this call for a ban on all ivory trading is a big
0:03:53 > 0:03:57step forward in stopping elephants being poached.
0:03:57 > 0:04:03But this ban would only apply if countries choose to follow it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Finding ways to protect elephants has been really
0:04:05 > 0:04:08important at this meeting.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Here's 11 things you might not know about them.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18There are only two types of elephants, African and Asian.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Female elephants don't have tusks.
0:04:22 > 0:04:29Elephants can be left-tusked or right-tusked,
0:04:29 > 0:04:30like being left or right-handed.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34A newborn elephant weighs more than 200 pounds.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38That's about 30 human babies.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Elephants have eyelashes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48The African elephant is the world's largest land animal.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Adult elephants cannot jump.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57They don't like bees.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01An elephant's trunk has more muscles than the whole human body
0:05:01 > 0:05:03put together.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Elephants can get sunburn.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They use sand or mud to protect themselves.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Elephants are pregnant for 22 months.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16That's almost two years.
0:05:16 > 0:05:25How amazing how these animals?
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Thanks for that, some facts I'll certainly never forget and there's
0:05:28 > 0:05:31loads on the big conference about ivory and elephants
0:05:31 > 0:05:34on our website including special reports from Jenny and a quiz.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36One of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent years
0:05:36 > 0:05:39is expected to batter parts of the Caribbean later.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Haiti is likely to get the worst of it but Jamaica could also get
0:05:43 > 0:05:53lots of flooding and winds of up to 150 miles per hour.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00That's all from me, Newsround's back at 4.20 -