A decision to place yet another creature on the endangered-species list often goes unnoticed. But last week champagne flowed in Lausanne, Switzerland, and sighs of relief echoed around the world. Reason: delegates to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to place the elephant, earth's largest land mammal, on the roll of animals that stand worrisomely close to the brink of extinction. That decision, supported by 76 nations and a legion of conservation and environmental groups, triggered a worldwide ban on the ivory trade. The hope is that it will bring an end to a decade of slaughter...
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