India, Aug. 15 -- Let's start with the African elephant, because we almost lost it.

In July 1989, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi set fire to a giant heap of 2,000 tusks, worth about $2 million then (about $7.5 million today).

It was a powerful gesture: against poaching, the ivory trade, and the slaughter of African elephants. The fire was followed by other measures. Poachers would face the death penalty, he announced, and forest guards has been given orders to shoot on sight.

The poaching of elephants had increased dramatically through the 1970s, partly as a result of the demand for ivory, and more importantly as a result of the proliferation of assault weapons amid the continent's post-colonial Border Wars.

The number of African el...