According to National Geographic , which has been tracking elephant poaching , the financial losses place the issue on the scale of global drugs and crime , with an estimated 30,000 African elephants being killed for their tusks last year -- a rate of slaughter , say wildlife experts , that could drive the animals to extinction within the century . Tara Sonenshine : As China gets richer , demand for shark fin soup rising . International campaigns and help from China have increased the demand for the soup , she says . She says eating sharks is part of a movement helping elephants , birds , other animals .
Tara Sonenshine : As China gets richer , demand for shark fin soup rising . International campaigns and help from China have increased the demand for the soup , she says . She says eating sharks is part of a movement helping elephants , birds , other animals .