In 1989, the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species put the African elephant on its "most endangered" list and banned worldwide commercial trade in ivory. The agreement was a resounding success. The ivory trade dried up, and elephant populations showed only modest declines since then.
In 1995, international donors had agreed to pay the costs of moving the 300 elephants set to be culled in South Africa, but the National Parks Board was insisting they also pay between 1,7000-2,600 pounds per elephant – the estimated worth of one animal's meat and hides. This was contradictory to their claims that they were culling for scientific reasons and not for commercial profit.