1、A smuggled tusk.A hidden GPS chip.A crime story.IVORY Warlords of Ivory CHECK LOCAL LISTINGSNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNELSEPTEMBER 2015Myanmar s Toughest ClimbColorful Language of ChameleonsThreatened Buddhist TreasuresAbove a sea of clouds,Renan Ozturk pauses on a slope of Hkakabo Razi.He was one of
2、three climbers making a summit attempt on the mountain,believed to be Myanmars highest.OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIET Y30 Tracking IvoryIn Africa some militias fund opera-tions by trading elephant ivory.Can a fake tusk help thwart them?By Bryan Christy Photographs by Brent Stirto
3、n92 True ColorsScientists explore the chameleons expressive color changes,trick tongueand vanishing habitat.By Patricia Edmonds Photographs by Christian Ziegler110 Rescuing Mes AynakIn Afghanistan a fortune in copper ore lies buried beneath a trove of ancient Buddhist artifacts.By Hannah Bloch Photo
4、graphs by Simon NorfolkPoint of No ReturnIs Hkakabo Razi in fact the tallest mountain in Myanmar?Attempting to take its measure,a team of climbers risked everything.By Mark Jenkins Photographs by Cory Richards60130 Proof|Art From an American Backyard Armed with a cell phone,a photographer catalogs t
5、he local flora and fauna.By James Estrin Photographs by Joshua WhiteOn the Cover An artificial tusk like this one was outfitted with a transmit-ter and planted in the ivory market so that its travelsand traders illegal activitiescould be tracked.Photograph by Rebecca Hale,NGM StaffCorrections and Cl
6、arifications Go to 2015 vol.228 no.3FROM THE EDITORPHOTO:BRENT STIRTONWildlife CrimeSusan Goldberg,Editor in Chief Trade in ivory helps bankroll the Lords Resistance Army,infamous for killings and abduc-tions in east and central Africa.Former LRA child conscript Michael Oryem says he helped poach an
7、d hide ivory:Once he escaped,he led U.S.and Ugandan forces to a cache.Tracking Illegal TradersIt was one of those audacious ideas that had a touch of the crazy:Hunt the elephant hunters.First build a fake tusk,one that looked so good it could fool the expertsin this case,poachers.Then hide a GPS dev
8、ice inside it.Finally track that signal by satellite,and map the trail of the bad guys.Best-case results:Expose the workings of the illegal ivory trade,which from 2009 to 2012 led to the slaughter of 100,000 African elephants.This barbarous racket also exacts a devastating human toll,from looted vil
9、lages and kidnapped children to raped women and dead park rangers.Thats what inspired the National Geo-graphic investigation reported in this issue,the first in a series well feature in the magazine and at .The stories come from our new Special Investigations Unit,which is the brainchild of Bryan Ch
10、risty,National Geographics 2014 Explorer of the Year and a passionate warrior against wildlife crime.“To protect wildlife and stop criminals,people first have to know the stories,”Christy says.“I dont want anyone to be able to say,Theres nothing I could have done,or I didnt know.?”Start by knowing t
11、his:The thriving,global illegal wildlife tradeincluding sales of endangered species and products made from themis worth billions of dollars annually.The trade not only kills elephants,turtles,crocodiles,and other animals.It also brings big bucks to smugglers,crime syndicates,and terrorists.In a 2013
12、 executive or-der aimed at combating wildlife crime,President Barack Obama called the surge in poaching and trafficking an“international crisis”that is“fueling instability and undermining security.”On this topic,Christys zealand that of photographer Brent Stirton,whose moving work is highlighted her
13、eis shared across the National Geographic Society.Protecting wildlife is a top priority for this organization.I like how Christy puts it:“I hate an unfair fight,”he says.“And the battle to protect endangered species from commercial exploitation is the unfairest fight I know.”Warlords of Ivory,the pr
14、emiere episode of National Geographics EXPLORER series,will air on August 30 at 8 p.m.on the National Geographic Channel.The film will feature the work of the Special Investigations Unit,which is made possible by contributions from individuals and institutions.Find out how you can support this missi
15、on at donate.ngs.org/HelpSIU.The National Geographic Society is a global non-profit membership organization.We inspire through exploration,illuminate through stories,and,always,teach.CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Chris Johns EDITOR IN CHIEF Susan GoldbergMANAGING EDITOR:David Brindley.EXECUTIVE EDITOR ENVIR
16、ONMENT:Dennis R.Dimick.DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY:Sarah Leen.EXECUTIVE EDITOR NEWS AND FEATURES:David Lindsey.EXECUTIVE EDITOR SCIENCE:Jamie Shreeve.CREATIVE DIRECTOR:Emmet Smith.EXECUTIVE EDITOR CARTOGRAPHY,ART AND GRAPHICS:Kaitlin M.Yarnall NEWS/FEATURES DIGITAL NEWS DIRECTOR:Dan Gilgoff.SHORT-FORM DIRECTOR:Patricia Edmonds.EDITORS:Marla Cone,Christine Dell Amore,Erika Engelhaupt,Peter Gwin,John Hoeffel,Wendy Koch,Robert Kunzig,Glenn Oeland,Oliver Payne.WRITERS:Jeremy Berlin,Eve Conant,Brian Clar
