in africa, elephants are being slaughtered at a record pace by poachers who hope to get rich by selling ivory. the u.s. has been trying to stop it, and today, the feds sent a powerful message. they gathered all of the ivory they've seized in the past quarter century and destroyed it. barry petersen was there. >> reporter: where millions once roamed free across africa, the numbers have plummeted because of poaching to about 500,000. poaching was the source of these six tons of illegal ivory. confiscated by u.s. officials from raw tusks to exquisitely carved statues. robert ruggiero runs the u.s. fish and wildlife antipoaching effort in africa. >> even poachers who are killed are readily replaced. there's an endless supply of people who are willing to take those risks. ivory trade is not driven by poverty. it's driven by greed. >> reporter: today, a rock crusher turned it all into worthless, gravel-sized pieces.