I think we can all agree that elephants are one of the most majestic, gentle, amazing and tender animals we have on this planet. Apart from being the largest land mammals, elephants are very social and intelligent. They are incredibly loving and form great bonds with their family and their herd. Plus they never forget! I wish I had that kind of brain power!
Unfortunately, the future of these magnificently gentle giants remains uncertain. The biggest threats elephants face is poaching, conflict with humans, and habitat loss. Elephants across Africa and Asia are being poached for their ivory at alarming rates. It was estimated that about 25,000 - 40,000 elephants were killed last year alone for their ivory tusks, making it the worst year on record in the history of elephant conservation.
Fortunately for elephants, and all of us who love them, there are many wildlife super heroes out in the trenches fighting to prevent them from being a memory on this planet. And even greater for us who care so much about elephants, we are able to get involved and do our part to ensure the future of these playful pachyderms. Read on for some of my favorite elephant heroes, foundations, and fundraisers to learn how you can help elephants too!
When I went to San Francisco for the Wildlife Conservation Network's Wildlife Expo I was lucky enough to attend Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton's presentation. For those of you who don't know him, he is one of the world's foremost authorities on African elephants and the first to have alerted the wold of the ivory poaching holocaust in the 1970's. He is founder of Save the Elephants, and basically an elephant superhero. I won't lie, I got teary eyed when he showed the images of all the confiscated tusks and decomposing elephant bodies they come across in the field. I thought to myself, "Surely, if everyone knew about this, someone would do something to stop it!" And then it occurred to me, I'm someone, and you're someone. So let's do something.
Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton and his team are helping African elephants on every level with research, education, and protection projects. Help out this elephant superhero by donating some funds for the cause!
A cool thing that Dr. Douglas-Hamilton shared was that one of China's biggest stars, Yao Ming, traveled to Africa to see first hand what the ivory demand of his country is doing to elephants. He teamed up with WildAid and created some amazing PSAs against buying ivory. Since China is one of the biggest consumers of ivory products, these PSAs are made to reach about a million people a week in China. Hopefully, little by little, the message "When the buying stops, the killing can too." will make it socially unacceptable to purchase ivory products.
Another elephant superhero is of coarse, Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick. Through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust established in memory of her late husband, Dame Daphne shows her love and compassion for elephants through her work at her elephant orphanage nursery. She has successfully hand reared over 130 new born elephant orphans from just hours old up until their two milk dependent years. Daphne and the keepers at the elephant orphanage become the new family of these baby elephants who grow up in Tsavo National Park in Kenya where they mingle freely with wild herds and eventually become fully integrated back into the wild community. Some of Daphne's orphans have now had wild born young, which they bring back to show their human mom!! Even more amazingly, you can help her by fostering your own orphaned elephant!
World Wildlife Fund - Join their campaign against wildlife crime, create your own fundraising page, and adopt an African elephant! With the help of wildlife activist and one of my favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and WWF launched the "Hands off My Parts" campaign against wildlife crime and got the Thai Prime Minister to accept a half million signature petition to ban ivory trade in Thailand.
International Fund for Animal Welfare - Join the Elephant March by saying no to ivory!
Wildlife Conservation Society - based out of my local Bronx Zoo, the WCS is working tirelessly to help elephants on every level. Join them by signing their petition to the US delegation to CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to develop a plan to enforce laws that already exist to protect elephants and crack down on poachers.
You can also support me as I make tracks for elephants this year at the WCS Run for the Wild! which raises funds for elephants. Along with my team, Junk In My Trunk, we are trying to raise as much funds as possible to help elephants out of this crisis - so please donate what you can! I'm very excited about this event as I've done it for the past three years. The previous years have been to benefit tigers, penguins, and lions!
PETA - If you love elephants, you want to help and protect them from every kind of harm. And that means not exploiting and abusing them for the sake of profit and entertainment. The Ringling Bros Circus is infamous for beating elephants to get them to do very painful tricks. The most important thing you can do to help stop this is not go to any circus that uses animals. Elephants of all ages, from babies to the elderly, are beaten with bull hooks, electro shocked and tied up to break their spirits. Teach your kids compassion and respect for all animals. Sign this petition with PETA to the USDA to demand they help suffering circus elephants.
While it is heart breaking to learn of all the terror and cruelty that our beloved elephants face all around the world, we CAN do something to help. In researching all the great people and organizations that are doing what they can to help elephants, I came across an amazing young girl from California. Juliette West is the project leader for a documentary film where she traveled to Thailand to help elephants. While the film hasn't been released yet, the trailer looks amazing and I will definitely be first in line to watch it and support this great cause!! How I Became an Elephant was made by Rattle the Cage Productions which makes documentaries about animal and environmental protection. How awesome!
So my friends, please do what you can to help elephants. They deserve to be happy and free, not fighting for their lives in the wild, or abused and caged up in a circus. It's scary to think that elephants could become extinct within a generation. It is up to us to help and do what we can. Every little bit counts and adds up to a big thing - as big as an elephant!!
Much love,
Sue
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