World Elephant Day shines spotlight on African jumbos
WORLD Elephant Day was recently celebrated around the globe to put the spotlight on the declining African elephant population and the fight against the ivory trade.
At a time when it is estimated that at least 20 000 elephants a year are poached for their ivory, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is advocating for a complete ban on international ivory trade, the closure of domestic ivory markets wherever they occur and the destruction of ivory stockpiles.
“On this World Elephant Day we are celebrating the global momentum to shut down all ivory markets.
“Awareness and action are definitely leading to change. Ivory trade anywhere threatens elephants everywhere,” said Grace Ge Gabriel, Asia regional director for the IFAW.
In New York, a popular South African alcohol brand with an African elephant as their logo and WildlifeDirect launched their latest campaign “Don’t Let Them Disappear” at a visually-arresting event.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the struggle to protect the world’s declining African elephant population.
To illustrate the rapid rate at which the world is losing these gentle giant beasts, a life-sized African elephant sculpted out of ice was placed in the summer heat.
The life-like sculpture gradually melted, dramatically, symbolising the alarming rate at which the African elephants are disappearing at the hands of poachers.
The installation held a crowd captivated, moved by the visual experience. Kirsten Alana, New York photographer and Instagrammer who recently visited Amboseli National Park in Kenya, said:
“In a city like New York, we are so far removed from the plight of the African elephant. This activation really drives the message home that we are losing these soulful creatures and soon they could be extinct. We can all make a difference by choosing to not buy ivory.”
Dr Paula Kahumbu, a foremost authority on African elephants and CEO of WildlifeDirect, was present to educate and help raise awareness to the public.
“The future of the African elephant is at a tipping point. Recent data shows that each day – around 96 African elephants are killed by poachers for their ivory. There are only approximately 350 000 African elephants left in the world and one is lost every 15 minutes.
“We need help spreading the word about the plight of our elephants,” said Dr. Kahumbu. This week eBay declared they are advocating for laws to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, in partnership with IFAW.
“Other recent positive developments include the announcement by China to close down its commercial ivory markets by the end of 2017; the US finalising its near-total ivory ban in 2016; calls by Australia and the European Union for a ban on ivory sales; the UK Big Ivory Surrender and the destruction by many countries – most recently the US – of stockpiles of confiscated ivory.
Gabriel said that rampant ivory trade in the past 10 years had heightened fear for the survival of elephants, with over 100 000 poached for the illegal trade between 2010 and 2012; at least 13 seizures of consignments of smuggled ivory weighing more than 800kg each in 2011; and the disappearance due to poaching of 62% of the population of forest elephants.
“To end the poaching of elephants, we have to smash every link on the trade chain, from market supply to consumer demand,” Gabriel added.
IFAW works with international organisations such as Interpol and national law enforcement bodies to combat wildlife and environmental crime.
In collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), IFAW started a pilot project in Kenya called tenBoma, which uses the newest data technology to enable rangers and enforcers to stop poachers before they kill. In consumer countries like China, IFAW is raising awareness to stop people from buying wildlife products and conducting training to equip enforcers with the necessary expertise to detect illegal wildlife products. – Staff Reporter