The Elephant In The Room!

Kind Rescuers Save Wild Elephant From Poaching Attempt

Wild African elephants are teetering dangerously on the brink of extinction. They are becoming the unwilling victims of an unfortunate human political and economic game that has led to an increase in the demand for black market ivory. The going rate for ivory is currently about $3,000 per kilo and each adult elephant tusk weighs roughly five kilos. This puts a $30,000 price tag on the head of every elephant in Africa! With political corruption running rampant and many Africans living in abject poverty, these inflated prices have the mass slaughter of Africa’s elephants.

Each year there are approximately 35,000 elephants hunted down and brutally slaughtered for their ivory. This translates to roughly one hundred elephants killed each day. That means that in the time that it takes most people to shower each morning, an elephant has lost their life.

This bloody slaughter also wreaks havoc on the remaining live elephants and those who are not killed but are often maimed or injured as they flee from their attackers. This was the case in this video, which was filmed on the Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve in Kenya.

The rangers, who often risk their lives fighting illegal poaching, tracked an injured elephant into the bush. Luckily, the skilled vets are able to treat the animal and before long it is as good as new, happily returning to its herd. This elephant’s story was a happy ending, thanks to the help of a few kind humans, proving once again that it is possible for all of us to get along.

Three Elephants With Looming Legal Battles... Will You Help?

Chanchal's Story: In 2012, when Chanchal was 16 years old, she and another elephant were hit by a speeding truck. Tragically, her companion was killed instantly in the hit and run, and poor Chanchal was severely injured. In addition, she was starving and undernourished. Her owners were arrested for negligence, and Chanchal came to live in our rescue center, where she is thriving despite having some injuries she'll never be able to fully recover from.

Upcoming Legal Battle: While we have won several cases on Chanchal's behalf, her former owners have not given up and seem determined to get her back.

Help us keep Chanchal free by donating to the Elephant Legal Fund today!

Laxmi's Story: When she was rescued in 2013, Laxmi was morbidly obese and had medical issues resulting from years of neglect and mistreatment. We have worked hard to help Laxmi recover from the many problems that were ailing her. Sadly, she was abused so profoundly that some of her medical conditions will never heal. Still, she is happy with us and has friends and a good life.

Ongoing Legal Battle: Laxmi's previous owners are still trying to get her back! They have found a loophole with the court orders that were issued to move her to our facility and they are using it to try and get her returned to them. We have been fighting and winning court battles to keep her free for the last two years. The next one is scheduled for February of 2016.

With your help, we can keep Laxmi from returning to her abusive owners. Please donate today!

Mohan's Story: For more than fifty-five years, Mohan has been passed from owner to owner, each time beaten into submission, each time forced to live and work in chains. We have nearly rescued him two different times. The first, he disappeared without a trace just before our rescue team was mobilized. The second, an angry mob of 300+ people were able to stop us and the police from loading him into our transport vehicle.

Upcoming Legal Battles: Despite the fact that the man who has custody of Mohan has NO legal ownership of him, he is still putting up a major fight to keep this poor elephant in chains. We have at least two court cases to win in order to gain Mohan's freedom, and possibly a third as we expect an appeal to a higher court to be filed in a case we already won.

Mohan may just be the unluckiest elephant in the world, but we will never give up on him, and we know you won't either.

It is beyond time for Mohan's luck to change. Your donation today can make the difference. Thank you!

California State Senate Votes to Ban Bullhooks. The California State Senate voted 28 to eight to ban bullhook use with elephants, making it the first state to enact such a ban. A bullhook is a long rod with a sharp metal hook at the top. It’s one of the weapons used by circuses to beat elephants in the name of “training” in order to coerce them into performing tricks.California’s bullhook ban is now in the hands of Gov. Jerry Brown, whose signature can turn the bill into law. When this historic ban goes into effect in 2018, no elephant in California will ever again be beaten, hooked, jabbed, or threatened with these weapons, or the wielder will pay a price.

A bullhook being used on a baby elephant.

Some individual cities—including Austin, Texas; Miami Beach, Florida; Oaklandand Los Angeles, California; and Richmond, Virginia—have already banned bullhook use. While this is a step in the right direction, no animal should be forced to perform for our entertainment.

What You Can Do
Never patronize circuses or other shows that use animal acts.

Ivory Belongs On Elephants

It’s easy to feel disconnected from the plight of the African elephant. These beautiful creatures live halfway around the world, and most Americans have only ever seen them on TV or at the zoo. Sure, we have all heard that poaching is a problem, but did you know that the U.S. is the second largest market for poached and smuggled ivory in the world? Ivory from elephant tusks is valued for use in carvings, jewelry, and as a traditional (though fallacious) Chinese medicine used to purge toxins from the body and to improve one’s complexion – and a growing demand for it is decimating the species’ populations.

One African elephant dies every 15 minutes at the hands of ivory poachers. With rates of elephant poaching increasing, the wild population of African elephants outside of certain fiercely protected reserves could vanish completely within 10 years.

African elephants were listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1978, and most populations are currently listed under Appendix I, the category of most concern, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). A ban on the importation of raw ivory into the U.S. took effect in 1989, except for in specific cases.

After protections were put in place, African elephant populations had begun to recover, but with a surge in demand for ivory, rates of illegal poaching have jumped again. From 2011-2014, African elephant poaching reached the highest levels since international monitors began keeping records in 2002. And the price of ivory in China has tripled, making elephant poaching an extremely lucrative business.

What is the U.S. doing about the illegal ivory trade?

In 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) crushed six TONS of confiscated ivory. This past June, they crushed another ton in Times Square. Millions of dollars worth of ivory sacrificed to send a message: The U.S. will not allow this prolific trade to continue at the cost of elephant lives.

It’s easy for illegal ivory to blend in with the legal ivory for sale in U.S. markets. Because it is legal to sell African ivory that was imported before 1989, and because legal ivory is often sold without certification, illegal ivory is often sold under the guise of a legal sale. And since many wildlife products made from hippo teeth, walrus teeth, warthog tusks, etc. look very similar to elephant ivory, it can be difficult for law enforcement officials to determine what is legal and what isn’t without the use of expensive and destructive testing. Right now, products are considered legal until proven otherwise. Law enforcement officers must prove that the seller knew that their ivory was illegally obtained in order to obtain a conviction. Current U.S. law is outdated, confusing, and full of loopholes.

As a result, the easiest way to stop the illegal sale of ivory is to prevent it from coming into the country in the first place. FWS inspectors are stationed at ports across the country in an attempt to catch illegal ivory as it enters. The FWS also provides enforcement training around the world, and has assisted in international efforts to trace seized ivory shipments back to the country of origin so that smuggling routes may be shut down. But the volume of products coming into the U.S. far outstrips the resources that FWS has to address the issue.

What can you do to help?

Be a Conscientious Consumer. Remember, the sale of legal ivory often serves as a cover for the sale of illegal ivory. Choose to boycott all ivory products to help reduce the demand. Tell your friends and family about your decisions and explain why they should consider making the same commitment.

Be an Advocate. On July 29, President Obama proposed new regulations designed to close existing loopholes and shut down the importation and sale of illegal ivory within the U.S. Write your representatives to let them know that you support this and other tough anti-trafficking measures. Tell them that you also support increases in funding for FWS law enforcement so that more wildlife inspectors can be trained and stationed full time at our ports of entry.

Support Defenders’ work. Make a donation or adopt an elephant today . Your support helps us to keep pressure on the White House to follow through with their plans, to mobilize against Congressional attempts to weaken ivory restrictions, to encourage grassroots efforts to implement state-specific ivory bans, and to ensure that current laws are sufficiently enforced.

Know Your Stuff. Did you know that elephants are considered a keystone species? When elephants dig for water in dry riverbeds, their neighbors benefit from the new water source. Elephant dung is an important vector for seed dispersal, and also serves as a fertilizer and a nursery for dung beetles. Even the trails made by elephants walking across their landscape result in important trails for other species and serve as fire breaks and water run offs. Share this information with your friends – the more someone knows about a species, the more likely they are to want to protect it.

Get Your Travel On. Have you ever wanted to see an elephant in the wild? If you choose to travel, be sure to choose an eco-tourism company that supports elephant conservation efforts. Shopping for souvenirs? Never buy ivory , but buy other items that are made in the communities you visit. Supporting locally-owned and operated businesses helps provide sustainable livelihoods for people on the ground in elephant environments, a great alternative to the temptation of making money through poaching.

Spread the Word. Share this post on social media. Tell your friends and family about the ivory trade and its impact on elephants in the wild.

1,500 pounds of elephant bones. 30 pounds of ivory. Live orangutans. Skins from tigers, clouded leopards, and golden cats. A live tiger cub. This is the haul the Aceh Provincial Police found during a raid of wildlife poachers in Indonesia.

Here's one thing we can't put a number on: the value of the lives of all the animals lost by the drive to make a profit at their expense. But we can make sure these criminals are brought to justice for their brutal and senseless crimes.

Thanks to a remarkably strong relationship between Indonesian National Police forces, and WCS's Wildlife Crimes Unit, Indonesia is a leader in arresting wildlife traffickers and prosecuting them to shut down their criminal behavior for good. This bust is just one of more than 90 in the last 3 years!

Imagine if there was a Wildlife Crimes Unit in every town poachers lurked – think of the criminals we could get off the streets and the elephants and other wildlife we could protect. We can WIN the war against wildlife crime – with your help.

Make a $5 donation to WCS today and help us raise $96,000 by September 10 for elephants.

East Africa desperately needs this kind of enforcement. In 2012 alone, 35,000 African elephants were slaughtered for their tusks. If poachers continue at this rate, African forest elephants face near extinction in 10 years and East Africa's savannah elephants might not be far behind.

Wildlife Crime Units are one of the most powerful weapons we have against poachers. But finding and putting traffickers behind bars is expensive. We need money to hire and pay top notch intelligence staff, cutting edge technology and tactics such as planes for aerial surveillance, and training for local prosecutors to finish the job.

While we KNOW this can work, we don't have nearly enough cash on hand to establish Wildlife Crime Units everywhere they're needed.

If every single WCS supporter reading this email today chipped in to save elephants we could easily deploy many more Wildlife Crime Units across Eastern Africa... sending traffickers running and saving elephants.

Say you're with us and make a $5 gift to put a stop to poachers right now. Help us raise $96,000 for elephants.

The secret to our success in all this is you, Don. Thanks for making sure our children and grandchildren enjoy a future with these magnificent animals.

When I look at an elephant I feel one thing: awe. Awe at their massive size, beauty, and intelligence.

It hurts to imagine a world without them. And I'm guessing you feel the same way, Don.

But when poachers creep through the forest and come face to face with an elephant, here's what they see: profit.

Luckily, those of us that value elephant lives over profit far outnumber the poachers and organized criminal gangs. But in order to save the lives of those elephants, our values must become action.

When you click the links in this email, you're doing more than just donating. You're becoming a key player in this movement – someone who is actively shaping the trajectory of this work by allowing us to deploy more resources, work with more countries, and SAVE even more elephants.

Elephants are some of the most intelligent creatures I know. They form close bonds, can use tools – even empathize. But one thing they can't do is save themselves. They need an ally – they need you, Don.

Claim your place in this work by making a gift – even $5 can make a difference – to help us expand our work to win the war on elephants around the world. We're only $23,288 away from our $96,000 goal with just hours remaining.

Stop the killing, stop the trafficking, stop the demand. It isn't just a catchy phrase – it's a formula for success.

Elephant activists around the globe have shone a spotlight on this crisis – with great success. We've been victorious with campaigns to ban commercial ivory sales in New York and New Jersey – and now the Obama administration is moving forward with a proposed federal ban on ivory sales. And internationally, 12 countries have destroyed confiscated ivory stockpiles in the past two years. And some are taking serious steps to shut down ivory markets – potentially bringing herds of elephants back from the brink.

We just need to do more of it – and that's where you come in, Don. Help us reach our $96,000 goal by midnight tonight.

Stop the killing
We must replicate the success of Uganda – where elephant populations have skyrocketed from fewer than 1,000 in the 1980s to over 5,000 today – everywhere we can. We've got plans to scale up our park management and elephant protection efforts in Cameroon, Tanzania, and Mozambique – but there are dozens more parks and wildlife reserves that need this, too. Help us make sure we don't have to turn our backs on them.

Stop the trafficking
We can beat traffickers at their own game by closing down the black market for ivory and cracking down on ivory smugglers. We're collecting public comments RIGHT NOW to show support for President Obama's federal ivory sales ban, and around the country we're working with state legislatures to commit to stopping the trade in their state. Internationally, we've had successes in Indonesia and India arresting and prosecuting criminals who kill or smuggle wildlife – we just need to replicate that work in Eastern Africa. Help us do it faster.

Stop the demand
China is one of the largest consumers of ivory, so we're assisting their government to combat demand and change the public's opinion about ivory. It's working – the Chinese government has announced its intention to cease the processing and domestic sale of ivory, billboards in the Beijing airport remind people that elephant ivory comes from dead elephants, and WCS's first-of-its-kind Chinese-language website on elephants and ivory is proving popular. But China's not the only country with citizens that will pay a high price for ivory possessions. Help us support other countries to follow in their footsteps.

Please, stand with us. A $5 gift will help turn the tide for elephants and against poachers – there are hours left to reach our $96,000 goal.

Meet the Incredible Woman Who Has Devoted 50 Years of Her Life to Raising Orphaned Elephants

There is nothing more majestic than the sight of wild elephants, running freely and raising their trunks in triumph. Sadly, due to ivory poaching and deforestation, that sight is becomingincreasingly rare throughout Africa. As a result, it has unfortunately become more common to find baby elephants orphaned and alone. The only way for a baby elephant to get left behind, is if its mother has been captured or killed. Like human children, baby elephants rely on their mothers for food and protection for the first few years of life. When elephants are orphaned, their rates of survival are extremely low – adding to the tragedy that is the current poaching crisis.

For the past 50 years, Daphne Sheldrick has been helping orphaned elephants at her home in Nairobi Kenya. She has raised dozens of them over the years, right alongside her human family and says that she has learned a lot about motherhood in the process.

Elephants carry their young for almost two years and form strong social bonds with the entire herd starting at birth. All of this becomes very important when trying to provide care for orphaned baby elephants, who can easily die from a lack of emotional support.

This video calls us to think about the importance of family and love in the life of an elephant. It also causes us to question the morality of holding such intelligent animals captive, breaking up their delicate family units for circuses and zoos in the name of entertainment.

To learn more about Daphne Sheldrick and the organization her family founded, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, click here.

Recent census numbers out of Africa confirm: the situation is dire for elephants. Tanzania has lost 65,000 elephants – 60% of its 2009 population. In Mozambique, 10,000 elephants have been slaughtered in five years, representing nearly half of its elephant population.

But it is far from hopeless, because people like you are taking a stand and demanding an end to the killing. And it's working! In huge public displays, 12 countries have destroyed ivory stockpiles in the last two years. U.S. states and the federal government are enacting strong bans on ivory sales, and China has expressed a similar intention. Leaders in Africa are redoubling their commitments to on-the-ground protection efforts and law enforcement.

The question is: Will that be enough? Each of us must decide: Are we willing to stand between elephants and extinction... before it's too late?

Please say "yes" by chipping in with a donation to WCS today.

Saving Wildlife
Be Sure to #BeHerd

President Obama has introduced a proposal to ban ivory sales in the U.S. This ban would close loopholes that have allowed smugglers to disguise ivory from recently killed elephants as antiques and send a strong message to the world. But the president's proposal isn't law yet. First, there's a 60-day public comment period.

During this time, we're gathering 96,000 comments in support of the ban. Help us make a powerful statement on this issue and #BeHerd today. If you're feeling more creative, you could also be named one of our Supporters of the Week.