A few days ago I saw one of the most disturbing photos I
have ever seen. It was of a young female elephant (known as a cow) who had died
due to gunshot injuries sustained during an attempted poaching incident late
last month in Laikipia, Kenya. She was
heavily pregnant and the photo also shows her calf lying beside her – the calf
was due to be born any day and it also died.
I haven’t included the picture here as it is extremely
graphic, but I would encourage you to look at it if you possibly can, and to
share it, because I do believe that only by facing tragedies such as this will
we have the impetus to do something about them.
The Ivory Trade
What is it about ivory? Ivory has long been considered aesthetically
pleasing – it is smooth, doesn’t splinter and can be carved into different
objects. Ivory has been used for buttons, needles, combs, billiard balls,
religious statues and icons (Source: TheAtlantic), and, as the song “Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie
Wonder tells us – piano keys. Even Steinway, one of the leading manufacturers
of pianos, only stopped using ivory for piano keys in 1982 (Source: TheAtlantic), and the Catholic Church, despite claiming they do not encourage
the ivory trade still accepts gifts made out of ivory from certain visiting
dignitaries (Source: CatholicHerald).
When an international ban on ivory trade was put in place in
1989 it was hoped this would protect elephants. But, ivory was still valued and
because it was now unavailable legally it entered the black market and poachers
continued poaching, only now they could earn significantly larger amounts of
money from their activities – currently up to $1000 for a pound of ivory on the
Chinese black market and ”the tusk of a single adult elephant could be worth more
than 10 times the average annual income in many African countries.” (Source: JeffreyGettleman, New York Times).
The incentive for poachers to continue poaching is money,
but this incentive only exists because of the demand for ivory. Demand for ivory
exists in several countries, but up to 70% of illegal ivory goes to China
(Source: JeffreyGettleman, New York Times). It is seen as a luxury item that is actually
still affordable to people of the middle classes. People want it, they can
afford it, and they go to the black market to get it.
Impacts on Elephants
The numbers of elephants killed for ivory is hard to accurately
determine, but in 2011, thirteen of the largest seizures of illegal ivory had a
combined estimated weight of 23 metric tons – this represents about 2,500
elephants who have been killed for their tusks (Source: World WildlifeFund). The National Geographic suggests that it is likely tens of thousands
of elephants were slaughtered in 2011 (Source: NationalGeographic).
The majority of elephants killed for ivory are adult males,
although poachers are often indiscriminate and have been known to kill off
entire families (families usually consist of between 10 and 20 animals). The
slaughter of adults means that young elephants can be orphaned and are left
without protection or nurturing during their youth. Many young elephants die as
a result. (Source: Jeremy Youngman)
Who is responsible…
It is impossible to say that the threat to elephants due to
the ivory trade rests with one group of people. Are the poachers responsible
because they are the ones killing the elephants? Are those who buy ivory to
blame? Are those who accept items made of ivory accountable? What about those
who turn a blind eye after receiving a bribe?
The responsibility rests with all of these groups, as well
as with the wider population. We can’t pretend that this isn’t happening.
It is happening, and the elephants need our help.
The good…
Celia Ho.
This is the name of a fourteen year old girl from Hong Kong
whose story has reached the pages of National Geographic. After reading “Blood
Ivory” by Bryan Christy, Celia began a campaign to stop ivory consumption,
particularly in Asia (Source: NationalGeographic).
Instead of sitting in front of the television or playing
computer games, Celia works to raise awareness among ivory consumers about the
plight of elephants, she has started a school based program to educate young
people about the ivory trade, and she is working to increase international
attention on the issue of ivory poaching.
Jane Goodall (Gorillas in the Mist) has dubbed her “The
Elephant Girl”.
Celia started her Facebook page on the 18th of
February this year, and already has 737 “likes”. Her philosophy is “We are not
going to blame anyone or any country but educate and inspire them as much as we
can.” She is one of the wisest fourteen year olds that I know of.
With young people like Celia the elephants have a real
chance, and we need to show support for her as she does this incredibly
important work. Please consider “liking” her on Facebook to let her know you
believe in her. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Elephant-Girl-Celia-Ho/207892889353942.
You can also find out more at “Celia’s Corner” http://ecosysaction.org/celia's-corner/.
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wildlife Fund is a long standing leader in
protecting wildlife across the globe. Their key activities include public
education to encourage consumers to make informed choices, providing technical
and scientific advice to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and researching illegal wildlife trade
routes (Source: World WildlifeFund).
One of their key campaigns at the moment is “Stop Wildlife
Crime”. The goal of this campaign is to save wildlife and people from becoming
victims of wildlife crime. It is true that, in addition to wildlife, people are
in danger – especially those that are risking their safety to stop armed
poachers (Source: StopWildlife Crime – World Wildlife Fund).
You can find out more at http://worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade
Park Rangers and the
Game Rangers Association of Africa
National parks across Africa are employing Park Rangers
specifically to counter illegal poaching of elephants for their ivory. The work
they do is vital, and it is dangerous.
These Park Rangers risk their lives every day working to stop
illegal poaching – they are at constant risk of being murdered by well-armed poachers.
Dozens of rangers were killed last year in Africa – 15 from the Kenya Wildlife Service alone. The names of more than 60 rangers from around
the world who had died during 2012 were listed on a Roll of Honour at the Convention
on International Traede in Endangered Speciies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
conference (Source: NationalGeographic). The Park Rangers are at war.
They are heroes in the truest sense of the word, and they
need our help.
In many instances the Park Rangers are not receiving
adequate protection, training, or equipment, and their standard of living is
low, as is their remuneration.
To find out more about these incredible people and what you
can do for them, visit: http://www.gameranger.org/
Next time…
Elephants, logging and tourism…
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