Asmuggledtusk.AhiddenGPSchip.Acrimestory.IVORYWarlordsofIvoryCHECKLOCALLISTINGSNATIONALGEOGRAPHICCHANNELSEPTEMBER2015Myanmar’sToughestClimbColorfulLanguageofChameleonsThreatenedBuddhistTreasuresAboveaseaofclouds,RenanOzturkpausesonaslopeofHkakaboRazi.Hewasoneofthreeclimbersmakingasummitattemptonthemountain,believedtobeMyanmar’shighest.OFFICIALJOURNALOFTHENATIONALGEOGRAPHICSOCIETY30TrackingIvoryInAfricasomemilitiasfundopera-tionsbytradingelephantivory.Canafaketuskhelpthwartthem?ByBryanChristyPhotographsbyBrentStirton92TrueColorsScientistsexplorethechameleon’sexpressivecolorchanges,tricktongue—andvanishinghabitat.ByPatriciaEdmondsPhotographsbyChristianZiegler110RescuingMesAynakInAfghanistanafortuneincopperoreliesburiedbeneathatroveofancientBuddhistartifacts.ByHannahBlochPhotographsbySimonNorfolkPointofNoReturnIsHkakaboRaziinfactthetallestmountaininMyanmar?Attemptingtotakeitsmeasure,ateamofclimbersriskedeverything.ByMarkJenkinsPhotographsbyCoryRichards60130Proof|ArtFromanAmericanBackyardArmedwithacellphone,aphotographercatalogsthelocalfloraandfauna.ByJamesEstrinPhotographsbyJoshuaWhiteOntheCoverAnartificialtusklikethisonewasoutfittedwithatransmit-terandplantedintheivorymarketsothatitstravels—andtraders’illegalactivities—couldbetracked.PhotographbyRebeccaHale,NGMStaffCorrectionsandClarificationsGotongm.com/more.september2015•vol.228•no.3FROMTHEEDITORPHOTO:BRENTSTIRTONWildlifeCrimeSusanGoldberg,EditorinChiefTradeinivoryhelpsbankrolltheLord’sResistanceArmy,infamousforkillingsandabduc-tionsineastandcentralAfrica.FormerLRAchildconscriptMichaelOryemsayshehelpedpoachandhideivory:Onceheescaped,heledU.S.andUgandanforcestoacache.TrackingIllegalTradersItwasoneofthoseaudaciousideasthathadatouchofthecrazy:Hunttheelephanthunters.Firstbuildafaketusk,onethatlookedsogooditcouldfooltheexperts—inthiscase,poachers.ThenhideaGPSdeviceinsideit.Finallytrackthatsignalbysatellite,andmapthetrailofthebadguys.Best-caseresults:Exposetheworkingsoftheillegalivorytrade,whichfrom2009to201...
