Elephants are beautiful creatures but they are being murdered everyday, writes James Sullivan.

These immense and elegant animals are being wastefully killed for their ivory tusks, which fetch huge profits on the black market.

The African elephant population was around three to five million in the early part of the twentieth century but now it has had a drastic decline to approximately four-hundred-thousand today – and they have been given a ‘vulnerable’ status.

I think this is dreadful as if this trend continues, elephants may face extinction.

Ivory is seen as precious material and is used in ornaments and jewellery but I believe it is not a vital element to life and there are more ethical ways to earn money which do not involve death.

New laws could make it illegal to trade almost all ivory, and people who break the ban could go to prison for up to five years.

I think this is brilliant progress as elephants must be protected as they deserve to have a life, like any other animal.

But more needs to be done to stop the ivory trade.

What is to stop these people reoffending to make money if attitudes do not change.

We must protect these graceful, innocent creatures. Elephants need to be defended against poaching - it must be done quickly before they face extinction.