It’s not going to be long before you realise that I love
elephants. I mean I really, really love them. Elephants are one of the world’s
most intelligent species (sometimes I think they may even be more intelligent
than humans!), they make lifelong friendships, and female elephants will often
take on the role of Aunty to young elephants. They grieve and some scientists believe
they cry when they are sad.
Photo courtesy: FreeFoto.com
A true story…
An incredible story about elephants came out of South Africa
last year.
In March 2012 a South African conservationist, Lawrence
Anthony, died of a heart attack. He and his wife, Francoise, had set up a game reserve
in Thula Thula and in 1999 they took in nine elephants who were deemed dangerous
and unpredictable. Anthony was their last chance. He gave them time and
patience and learnt to communicate with them with certain words and gestures.
The herd of elephants was eventually able to roam around the
5000 acre reserve unrestricted and happy.
Within a few days of Anthony passing away, a herd of elephants
from the reserve, led by two head females, turned up at Anthony and Francoise’s
home. The elephants were wild, really, yet they somehow knew that the person
who loved them so very much had gone – and they wanted to be there. How did
they know? (Source: LynneMcTaggart, TheTelegraph)
Elephants today…
It is difficult to accurately count the number of elephants
in various parts of the world, but some sources indicate that sixty per cent of
forest elephants in Africa (for example) were killed between 2002 and 2011 for
their ivory (Source: TheNew York Times).
The Asian elephant is listed as highly endangered. While
there are no accurate figures available to compare today to a century ago,
however it is estimated that there were about one million elephants across Asia
around 1900, and now there are between 50,000 and 70,000 elephants (wild,
domesticated, and those in zoos in the rest of the world) (Source: EliAid).
It is not good news…
The bad…palm oil and
deforestation…
Deforestation
Demand for palm oil is one of the key reasons behind
deforestation. In Australia an estimated 40% of products in supermarkets
contain palm oil and it is not mandatory to label palm oil as an ingredient (Source:
Palm Oil Action). You could be
using it without even knowing it. Cosmetics, shampoos, cleaning agents,
confectionery and vegetable oil can all contain palm oil!
Much of the deforestation across Africa and Asia has
occurred so that plantations to produce palm oil can be created. This is
encroaching significantly on the habitats of not only elephants, but orang-utans
and other animals as well. They can’t survive without their natural habitats because
they just don’t have the protection, shelter and food that they need.
Who is responsible…
It would be easy to say the blame rests with the citizens of
Africa and Asia, but in reality it is the international community who needs to
take responsibility and start taking action to save elephants.
It would also be easy to assume that the West are the only
ones interested in saving the elephants and that we have all the answers on how
to do it, but this is not the case. Many people in Asia and Africa are standing
up and fighting to save the elephants (just like Lawrence Anthony did as his
life’s work).
The good…
It would be easy to get disheartened by the situation with
elephants, but there are many, many organisations that are pushing for change
around the world. These changes will positively affect the future of elephants
across the world.
It is impossible to list all of them, but take a look at the
links below, do some research, search out organisations closer to you, and see
if there are any actions or causes that you would like to get involved in.
Here are a few to get you started…
Say No to Palm Oil
This organisation has specific information on the species
that are in danger due to palm oil production. It is difficult to look at the
faces of these animals, but seeing them is a real inspiration to try to do
something about it as well.
Much of their work focusses on orang-utans, but by helping
the orang-utans other species, including elephants will be helped too.
They have some great links to organisations where you can donate to the cause, adopt an animal, purchase products that support the cause, or even volunteer.
Their website is http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/
Palm Oil Action Group
This group’s aim is to get the message out about palm oil and
its impact on the environment. They are pushing for it to be mandatory to label
palm oil in Australia and they also promote the use of Certified Sustainable
Palm Oil. They have a list of products that contain palm oil from
non-sustainable sources, and plenty of ideas to get involved with their cause. Their
web address is http://www.palmoilaction.org.au/
Rainforest Action
Network
This group has some pretty serious information about palm
oil – who is producing it, where it is coming from, who is using it, and how it
is impacting on rainforests and the biodiversity in them.
They have some great factsheets, ideas on how to take
action, and their work also takes in the issues of paper production and coal,
amongst others.
Their web address is http://ran.org/palm-oil
Lawrence Anthony
You can read more about Lawrence Anthony's amazing life working and ongoing legacy at the following website http://www.lawrenceanthony.co.za/
Next time…
Elephants and the ivory trade
Over to you…
Even a little bit of action makes a difference…
