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Endangered Elephants

By Angela Terry, guest blogger with the nonprofit group Blood Ivory

It’s easy to assume that something that lives in a foreign country thousands of miles away will always be here for us. And that one day when we’ve made enough money, collected enough air miles, and put in enough hours, we’ll be able to hop on a plane to see these magnificent creatures in the flesh.

The number of African elephants are dwindling. You can help by signing the petition. (Photo courtesy of Blood Ivory.)

From 1979, there were 1.3 million African elephants. A decade later, widespread poaching reduced that figure to 600,000. In 1989, a worldwide ban on ivory trade was approved by CITES (Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species). Levels of poaching fell dramatically, and black-market prices of ivory slumped.

On March 13, CITIES will host a conference about the African elephant population and the ivory trade. Not everyone is in agreement. Representatives from Tanzania and Zambia will ask that protection levels of African elephants be reduced. They are pushing to sell several tons of illegal ivory through a loophole–even though there is a ban in place. If this trade goes ahead, the door to poaching will open even wider than before.

Sign the Petition
Please sign this petition to help the elephants.

If Tanzania and Zambia get their way, many fear for the future survival of Africa’s elephants. For Sierra Leone’s elephants it’s too late. The government of Sierra Leone announced at the end of 2009 that it feared its last few elephants had been lost to poachers.

The African Elephant Coalition, formed of 23-African elephant range States (the majority of countries with wild African elephants), are opposing the Tanzanian and Zambian proposals. Instead, they are calling on the international community to support a proposal by Ghana, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Mali, Kenya, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to close the loophole in the moratorium, and extend it to 20 years. They believe that only resolute action of this kind can increase the security for Africa’s beleaguered elephants.

March 8th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Guest Posts

2 comments to Endangered Elephants

  • Ori tamari
    March 11, 2010 at 4:32 AM

    Dear Angela

    This is indeed an important effort but as someone who was resident in several African countries for few years, I do not think it will help. Those African governments have so many problems that they hardly can find time for environment and wildlife issues (unless those related to economic aspects such tourism). If it’s ivory trade, Leopard skin or Gorilla skull, the economic temptation for the local dealers is a huge problem.

    I believe that action should be with individual (private or organizations) that work together with the government in order to investigate, operate undercover agents and informers gather precise information so that dealers in meat and the products of threatened species can be arrested in the act.
    The only successful operation I am familiar with is LAGA in Cameroon that built legitimacy for a new model of interaction between an NGO and Government.

    In WildlifeSaving.org we try to help such individuals and organizations. We try to do so by combining online and active wildlife conservation activities with participatory online learning, while supporting wildlife rehabilitation centers around the world.

    Users registered with WildlifeSaving.org can adopt real wildlife cared for at wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers around the world. Adoption fees are transferred to the wildlife center where the animal is rehabilitated, and are used for that animal’s care. WildlifeSaving content is aimed at young, English speaking internet users (ages 6-13). Maybe when they will be older that will keep the world better.

    I add my name to the Petition,

    Cheers

    Ori Tamari
    WildlifeSaving

  • Michel
    March 13, 2010 at 3:34 PM

    Even though I understand what you are trying to say Ori, not adressing a problem or an (wildlife) issue because there are other problems, is a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning in argumentation!

    Greetings from the Netherlands,

    Michel