An adorable baby elephant plays in the waves of the ocean on the beach. He is thoroughly enjoying himself and being quite playful and comical in his antics. He has not a worry in the world. Sadly this is not the case of his wild elephant brothers and sisters in Africa.

Poaching in Africa against elephants for their ivory continues at such unprecedented levels this year as to possibly cause extinction of them if something isn't done soon to stop it. The increase in this poaching is to supply Asia with their demand for the ivory tusks. While poacher have always hunted annually for elephants, the situation has been exacerbated this according to WWF for Nature officials.

In just 10 weeks, elephant poaching gangs have killed a devastating number of savannah elephants in a reserve in northern Cameroon. They are also close to exterminating elephants in the country's Bouba N'Djida National Park. African officials warn that elephants could soon suffer the fate of the black rhinoceros which was declared extinct in that region in 2011.

One of the major problems facing conservationists to stop this poaching is the sophistication of weapons that poachers use. According to WWF vice-president Richard Carroll, "They've come a long way from poaching with spears. Now they are very heavily armed - they often outgun the military that is after them."

The Cameroon government has deployed its army to fight the poachers by sending in some 150 soldiers to the region as of March. Unfortunately the killing of elephants has continued and in just two weeks since the troops have moved in they have confiscated 49 tusks from 25 slaughtered elephants. However no arrests are believed to have been made.

The demand for ivory shows no sign of ending in China and Thailand. "Most of the crucial middle-men roles in Africa are held by Chinese individuals who are part of the burgeoning immigrant communities here in Africa. They are bent on becoming wealthy and wildlife trade provides an opportunity," said leading ivory trade expert, Tom Milliken.

Please keep this horrendous daily assault on the elephants in Africa in mind as you view the sweet and delightful photos below of a baby elephant playing in the surf. All elephants should have the right to live a carefree life, not one where they are hunted down and killed with powerful weapons just to appease the greedy demand by an Asian culture. It is far past the time where this is put to an end.