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The overall elephant population has been steadily declining, with numbers in Africa falling by more than half between 1980 and 1990. Though the zealous efforts of conservationists to stop poaching are beginning to show results, have the conservationists overreacted? Has the move to control poaching brought irreparable harm to cultures who depend on elephants for survival? Is the global ban on ivory trade in the best interest of all involved? Nova looks at these and other thorny questions in the ongoing controversy in Can the Elephant Be Saved?