We demand the USA to say goodbye to wild-animal circuses as other countries already have done so far!
TARGET: The Government of the USA, President Barack Obama
We've got 6,763 supporters, help us get to 10,000
Circus animals do not willingly stand on their heads, jump through rings of fire, or ride bicycles. They don’t perform these tricks because they want to and they don’t do any of these meaningless acts in their natural habitat. The ONLY reason circus animals perform is because they are scared of what will happen to them if they don’t.
The circus would like you to think that these intelligent and sentient creatures perform because they are positively reinforced with food, praise etc. There is no such thing as positive reinforcement for animals in the circus - only varying levels of punishment, neglect, and deprivation. These animals have limited access to food and water as to will them to perform, as well as to prevent untimely defecation and urination while they are on stage or in public view.
Why would you pay to see miserable, confused (and potentially dangerous) wild animals trot out a tired routine that they’ve been forced to learn through beatings and other abuse when you could watch exuberant human acrobats soar through the air at shows such as Cirque du Soleil?
Wild-animal circuses are a show that must not go on. And all over the world, governments are making sure it doesn’t. The Netherlands finalised its ban last month!
Here is a roundup of circus animal bans around the world:
Nationwide ban on all animals in circuses: Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Bolivia
Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Singapore, Israel and Mexico
Nationwide ban on the use of most wild animals in circuses: Belgium, Bulgaria, and The Netherlands
Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses: Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, and India
Nationwide ban on the use of native wild animals in circuses: Ecuador
Nationwide ban on the use of wild-born animals in circuses: Estonia, Hungary, and Poland.
Local bans on the use of animals in circuses: Ireland, Norway, Spain, UK, USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Australia
These countries are really showing us up with their progressive, compassionate policies. The sooner the USA joins this list, the better.
In the end, however, animals in a circus do not care in which country they were born, trained or perform. Surely they all need to be protected from the suffering a lifetime in a circus can cause.
The elephants on these picture left Pittsburgh for another city where they will have to "perform"! They are abused, riduculised with the costumes and the hat, exploited and deprived of any basic needs as interaction, enough food, bathing, enough water, medical care, roaming free! These archaic traditions don't have a place in this century! The suffering of all wild animals in circuses must end NOW!
Move Isolated Zoo Elephant to Sanctuary.
Target: Tim Morrow, CEO and Executive Director of San Antonio Zoo
Goal: Move Lucky, a lone elephant, to a reputable sanctuary.
Lucky the elephant has been at the San Antonio Zoo since the age of two. She is now 55 years old. As of 2013, Lucky has been in isolation due to the death of her friend. Lucky shows clear psychological problems as a result of her living conditions. She can be seen rocking back and forth excessively, which even the zoo says is “anxious behavior.”
The animals rights group, The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), is suing the San Antonio Zoo over Lucky. The ALDF’s lawsuit claims that the San Antonio Zoo is violating the Endangered Species Act by having Lucky all alone, by not providing adequate space or shelter, and by not using proper materials for Lucky’s exhibit floor. The ALDF claims that all of these factors can cause physical and psychological damage to Lucky. “More and more zoos have admitted that they cannot meet elephants’ complex needs and have closed their elephant exhibits” says executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Stephen Wells.
Elephants are very intelligent, curious and social animals. They develop deep bonds with family members and it is inherently cruel to keep an elephant in isolation. Tell the San Antonio Zoo that Lucky deserves to live out the rest of her life happily and healthy among other elephants.
Dear Mr. Morrow,
Your zoo currently holds an elephant by the name of Lucky. As of 2013, Lucky has been kept in isolation. As I am sure you are aware, elephants are highly intelligent and social creatures. They form deep family bonds, especially females. They have even displayed feelings of joy, grief and anger. To keep Lucky in isolation is intolerably cruel.
Many zoos are getting rid of their elephant displays because they are finally acknowledging that they are unable to provide these complex animals with their wants and needs. It is time that you acknowledge that as well and let Lucky live out the rest of her days happily, healthy and among other elephants.
Please consider moving Lucky to a sanctuary. She does not deserve to spend the rest of her life alone while people gawk at her all day. She needs elephant companions and an environment suitable for her needs.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Billy Hathorn
Here’s rare good news for African elephants: In northern Kenya, elephant poaching on community conservancies has been reduced by 35 percent since 2012.
The poaching reduction, according to a report released by Northern Rangelands Trust, occurred on 27 community wildlife conservancies in northern Kenya that protect more than 6 million acres. A recent article in the journal PLOS ONE analyzing northern Kenya conservancies suggests community-based conservation may be one of the most important ways to decrease elephant poaching.
For years, conservationists have held a deep conviction: For African wildlife to be protected, communities must benefit. Most wildlife is actually found outside national parks; community and private lands support 60% of Africa’s wildlife. Without recognizing the role communities play in conservation, efforts to protect elephants, rhinos and other species would fail.
But when communities become involved in conservation, does wildlife protection really follow? Recent reports from northern Kenya provide hopeful evidence that the answer is yes.
Elephants in Crisis
It’s no secret that African elephants face as an unprecedented crisis, as tens of thousands are poached for ivory each year. Since 1980, the elephant population has declined from 1.2 million to 430,000 as of 2015.
For some, this feels like a war on elephants, and the response has been to fight back: more enforcement, more patrols, national parks protected like fortresses. But as elephants continue to die, it’s clear that this approach is not enough.
“Elephant conservation can’t just be about guys with guns enforcing laws,” says Matt Brown, director of conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Africa. “The community has to be involved. Community members have to benefit from wildlife.”
Many communities find themselves in frequent conflict with wildlife. Elephants trample their fields, wiping out food and income in one evening. Coexistence becomes untenable, especially when killing an elephant results in profit.
Sepengo Lendira watches cattle at Lewa Wildlife
Conservancy in Northern Kenya. Lewa has partnered with the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy to set up the ‘Linking Livestock Markets to Wildlife Conservation’ program. Photo © Ami Vitale for The Nature Conservancy
“Yes, there are organized bands involved in elephant poaching, but the person pulling the trigger is from the local community,” says Brown. “That is always the case. Always, always, always. Community members know who the poachers are. There needs to be an incentive so that it is worth it for those communities to keep elephants alive.”
Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), a long-time partner of The Nature Conservancy, has been a leader in creating incentives for local communities. NRT has successfully established 27 community-led conservancies in northern Kenya. Each is governed by a council of elders that makes decisions about land management and investments in communities including clinics, schools and ecotourism facilities.
The main land use in the area is livestock grazing, and cattle and wildlife have grazed side by side for millennia. But recent population growth and climate change have stressed grasslands, and threaten to further human-wildlife conflict.
For four years, an effort led by The Nature Conservancy and partners has supported a Livestock to Market program which purchases cattle directly from the community and pays incentives for the sustainable management of grasslands. The program buys 10,000 cows per year from 19 conservancies, influencing the management of 1.2 million acres of land.
“The rangeland health is improving and becoming more resilient to climate change over time,” says Mike Harrison, chief executive officer of Northern Rangelands Trust. “We are building a system that will create more grass for livestock and wildlife. The community benefits from sustainably managed grasslands.”
Samburu women make beaded products in West Gate Conservancy, Kenya. Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) is focused on helping communities diversify their income. Photo © Ami Vitale for The Nature Conservancy
Conservationists have worked with communities to create other sources of income, including an artisanal industry in beadwork. NRT’s BeadWORKS program is providing 1,000 women access to markets and has generated more than $120,000 for local communities.
Communities Benefit, Elephants Benefit
Incomes for pastoralists have increased, providing a clear benefit for people from conservation. Recent reports show that this also translates into reduced poaching of elephants.
Conservationists often track poaching through a figure called the proportion of illegally killed elephants (PIKE). Basically, it is the percentage of poached elephants among all dead elephants found. Scientists consider this one of the most accurate ways of tracking poaching increases. Since 2006, PIKE numbers across the elephant’s range have spiked sharply.
On northern Kenya’s community conservancies, though, PIKE numbers have declined more than 40 percent since 2012. Northern Rangelands Trust reported an overall 35 percent decline in the number of poached elephants. These declines are greater on community conservancy lands than outside areas.
A herd of elephants cross a river at Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia, northern Kenya. Photo © 2015 Ami Vitale
While this is fantastic news for conservationists, Brown cautions that community-led conservancies alone are not the sole answer.
“That would be too simplistic,” he says. “Enforcement of laws is not the only answer, but it is still important. Addressing the ivory trade and ivory buyers is important. But the decrease in elephant poaching shows that we also need communities to adequately address the poaching issue.”
And there is more to this story: these community-based conservancies don’t just result in lower incidences of elephant poaching, they also make elephants less stressed. Yes, you read that right. Community conservation is like the elephant version of yoga.
The Low-Stress Pachyderm Lifestyle
Save the Elephants, a Conservancy partner in northern Kenya, placed radio collars on 25 elephants that used Northern Rangeland Trust lands. They tracked the elephants’ movements on conservancy lands, wildlife corridors and outside areas.
Researchers found that they were able to track not only how elephants used these lands, but also how the elephants behaved.
According to a report by Save the Elephants, the animals acted quite differently when they were on community conservancy lands. They relaxed and began moving more slowly. They behaved like stress-free elephants.
African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at wells created for wildlife by Sarara Camp and Namunyak Conservancy on the Northern Rangelands of Kenya. Photo © Suzi Eszterhas
“When they move off conservancy lands, they’re hurried, they’re nervous,” says Brown. “It is fascinating to see elephant behavior responding to changes in management.”
People and wildlife still face challenges in northern Kenya, even on community conservancies. While the poaching rate has declined, elephants are still being poached. People still have to deal with drought and wildlife conflict. But research like this indicates that conservancies offer a hopeful future.
“Community-based conservation has to be comprehensive. It has to affect peoples’ incomes, their healthcare, their education,” says Brown. “But if you can address what the community needs, you can get people invested in conservation. And that can lead to a range of benefits for the community and for wildlife, as these recent reports demonstrate so well.”
Free Mo Mo
TARGET: Yangon Zoo - We've got 245,130 supporters, help us get to 250,000
Update #2 5 days ago ▾
I would love to be able to buy Mo Mo her freedom. A few of those who have signed have asked about this.
Update #1 7 days ago ▾
So many wonderful people have signed and are spreading the word of this dear girl. Let's help make her birthday wish come true, Freedom!!!
About This Petition
Mo Mo the elephant just turned 62 years old, which is quite a feat for an elephant raised in captivity. While many of those in the wild tend to live to a ripe old age, zoo-raised elephants' lives tend to be much shorter.
To celebrate Momo's unexpectedly long life, the Yangon Zoological Gardens dressed her up in a sparkly outfit, gave her a feast of bananas, and released 62 birds. It was a big spectacle, and probably made the zoo a lot of money, but I doubt it was how Mo Mo would have chosen to spend her birthday.
Mo Mo has spent the last 55 years of her life in captivity, performing with the other elephants for zoo visitors. Her special trick is playing the harmonica and shaking her hips to the beat. If this weren't sad enough, all of the other elephants - Aung Toe, Ma Toe, Moe Meit, and Ma Yang Kot - who performed with her over the years have passed away.
Instead of releasing 62 birds to celebrate Mo Mo's birthday, the Yangon Zoological Gardens should have released Mo Mo. It is a miracle that she has managed to survive all these years in captivity; let's give her the rest and respite she deserves. Please sign this petition demanding that the Yangon Zoo release Mo Mo to an elephant sanctuary where she can live out her final years with peace and dignity.
A Bit of Sunshine for Suraj, the One-Eared Elephant.
Suraj is a temple elephant in India. Wildlife SOS is working to rescue him.
Recently, our team went to go check in on Suraj. When they arrived, he was standing in his own excrement and urine, in the same dank room he has occupied for years, perhaps decades. His heavy chains clanked as he shifted uncomfortably in his place.
Our vet got to work examining him, and discovered that poor Suraj is basically suffering from the tip of his trunk to the end of his tail. He has bullhook wounds on his head, a lice and tick infestation, cracked and painful toenails, foot rot, infection in both eyes, and even a severe injury to the tip of his tail.
While our team did not yet have the official permission required to rescue him, they simply couldn't leave without trying to give Suraj some small measure of comfort. So they managed to convince his handlers to take him out for a short walk in the sunshine, with a brief stop at a nearby river.
This video shows Suraj out on his walk, and though he seemed to enjoy his small adventure, you can see how abnormal and labored his gait is. His pain is evident and heartbreaking. But it is not inevitable. With your help, he can find relief.
Suraj means "sunshine" in Hindi. It's a name we chose for him because we are determined to get him out of that dark room. With your help, we can give him more than a taste of freedom, more than just a few minutes of sunshine. We can give him a whole new life and a bright future.
After what was likely the most dangerous rescue operation our team has ever conducted, Suraj is now safely on our elephant ambulance, traveling to our rescue center. We are extremely grateful to all of you who made his rescue possible.
While we know how eager you must be to see photos of his rescue and hear the whole story, we won't be sharing any more details until Suraj is safely at our center and beginning to settle in, likely around Dec. 26th.
In the meantime, we hope that the knowledge that he is safe will make you as relieved as it does us.
After decades in chains, Suraj has just been rescued! He will need extensive medical care to heal. Please consider a monthly gift to help provide a healthy and happy future for Suraj. Together, we can fill his future with as much light and love as possible. Thank you!
Please donate today: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/...
Recently, our team went to go check in on Suraj. When they arrived, he was standing in his own excrement and urine, in the same dank room he has occupied for years, perhaps decades. His heavy chains clanked as he shifted uncomfortably in his place.
Our vet got to work examining him, and discovered that poor Suraj is basically suffering from the tip of his trunk to the end of his tail. He has bullhook wounds on his head, a lice and tick infestation, cracked and painful toenails, foot rot, infection in both eyes, and even a severe injury to the tip of his tail.
While our team did not yet have the official permission required to rescue him, they simply couldn't leave without trying to give Suraj some small measure of comfort. So they managed to convince his handlers to take him out for a short walk in the sunshine, with a brief stop at a nearby river.
This video shows Suraj out on his walk, and though he seemed to enjoy his small adventure, you can see how abnormal and labored his gait is. His pain is evident and heartbreaking. But it is not inevitable. With your help, he can find relief.
Suraj means "sunshine" in Hindi. It's a name we chose for him because we are determined to get him out of that dark room. With your help, we can give him more than a taste of freedom, more than just a few minutes of sunshine. We can give him a whole new life and a bright future.
After what was likely the most dangerous rescue operation our team has ever conducted, Suraj is now safely on our elephant ambulance, traveling to our rescue center. We are extremely grateful to all of you who made his rescue possible.
While we know how eager you must be to see photos of his rescue and hear the whole story, we won't be sharing any more details until Suraj is safely at our center and beginning to settle in, likely around Dec. 26th.
In the meantime, we hope that the knowledge that he is safe will make you as relieved as it does us.
After decades in chains, Suraj has just been rescued! He will need extensive medical care to heal. Please consider a monthly gift to help provide a healthy and happy future for Suraj. Together, we can fill his future with as much light and love as possible. Thank you!
Please donate today: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/...
The Secret of How Elephant Societies Remain Intact Despite the Poaching Crisis. As poachers target matriarchs, younger females are stepping up to take their place and maintain elephants’ complex social structures.
As global demand for illegal ivory soared last year, black market prices hit $1,500 per ounce, making elephant tusks more valuable than gold. The ongoing poaching epidemic resulted in the death of 100,000 elephants between 2010 and 2012.
Poachers target large males first, as they sport the biggest tusks, and then take out older females. That would seem to fracture elephants’ matriarchal society, but a new study finds that the pachyderms’ extended families are more resilient than was thought.
“The structure of elephant society is really complex, especially when it comes to females,” said Shifra Goldenberg, a doctoral student at Colorado State University, who coauthored the study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology. “As a female elephant, you’re rarely alone; you’re usually with your relatives and with your extended groups.”
The researchers wanted to know what happened when poachers removed older females from these intricate social structures. They reviewed 16 years of data on elephants that were part of a population in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve maintained by the nonprofit group Save the Elephants. The data tracked which individual elephants (identified by ear shape, body markings, or other unique characteristics) were associating with other elephants. “Basically, we figured out groups of who was hanging out together,” said Goldenberg.
Despite a turnover of about 70 percent in the elephant group, the researchers found that the animals’ social structure was maintained even when matriarchs were killed. That mainly happened when the middle-aged females—now the oldest in the group—stepped up to fill leadership roles.
“It shows that elephants are socially resilient,” Goldenberg said. “In a highly social species, they depend on social bonds, so the fact that we haven’t seen social collapse is good news.”
She said that the younger females had enough social knowledge to recreate patterns they learned from their older female relatives
But there are other implications to losing the oldest females. It’s still not known how older females affect the survival of elephant calves, for instance. And there are other questions. “What are the other implications of losing your matriarch?” Goldenberg said. “Sure, these elephants are maintaining some kind of social structure, but what does it mean for their ranging patterns?”
Older females are also important information hubs for the group, carrying ecological knowledge from many years of experience—such as where to find distant water holes in times of drought or distinguishing threat calls from other types of communication. “We may see during a drought period that they don’t do as well,” said Goldenberg.
Elephants aren’t the only species that relies on a matriarch’s deep ecological experience. A study of orcas published in the journal Current Biology earlier this year found that in years when salmon stocks were low, older females were more likely to lead pods to find food.
Poachers target large males first, as they sport the biggest tusks, and then take out older females. That would seem to fracture elephants’ matriarchal society, but a new study finds that the pachyderms’ extended families are more resilient than was thought.
“The structure of elephant society is really complex, especially when it comes to females,” said Shifra Goldenberg, a doctoral student at Colorado State University, who coauthored the study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology. “As a female elephant, you’re rarely alone; you’re usually with your relatives and with your extended groups.”
The researchers wanted to know what happened when poachers removed older females from these intricate social structures. They reviewed 16 years of data on elephants that were part of a population in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve maintained by the nonprofit group Save the Elephants. The data tracked which individual elephants (identified by ear shape, body markings, or other unique characteristics) were associating with other elephants. “Basically, we figured out groups of who was hanging out together,” said Goldenberg.
Despite a turnover of about 70 percent in the elephant group, the researchers found that the animals’ social structure was maintained even when matriarchs were killed. That mainly happened when the middle-aged females—now the oldest in the group—stepped up to fill leadership roles.
“It shows that elephants are socially resilient,” Goldenberg said. “In a highly social species, they depend on social bonds, so the fact that we haven’t seen social collapse is good news.”
She said that the younger females had enough social knowledge to recreate patterns they learned from their older female relatives
But there are other implications to losing the oldest females. It’s still not known how older females affect the survival of elephant calves, for instance. And there are other questions. “What are the other implications of losing your matriarch?” Goldenberg said. “Sure, these elephants are maintaining some kind of social structure, but what does it mean for their ranging patterns?”
Older females are also important information hubs for the group, carrying ecological knowledge from many years of experience—such as where to find distant water holes in times of drought or distinguishing threat calls from other types of communication. “We may see during a drought period that they don’t do as well,” said Goldenberg.
Elephants aren’t the only species that relies on a matriarch’s deep ecological experience. A study of orcas published in the journal Current Biology earlier this year found that in years when salmon stocks were low, older females were more likely to lead pods to find food.
Nosey the Elephant Needs Your Help in Florida!
When Hugo Liebel isn't hauling Nosey the elephant around the country, he's forcing her to give rides at seedy flea markets in Florida while he lies low for the winter. Howard's Flea Market in Homosassa and the USA Flea Market in Port Richey regularly host the suffering elephant, despite abundant evidence of exhibitor Hugo Liebel's decades-long neglect of her. Please join PETA in urging these facilities never to host Nosey again!
Liebel's animal-welfare violations span decades. He has been cited for nearly 200 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and in 2013, he was ordered to pay a penalty following nearly three dozen charges for AWA violations, including for chaining Nosey so tightly that she could barely move, denying her adequate veterinary care, and endangering the public. On top of that, Nosey has been consistently lame for over a year and is likely suffering from painful arthritis, a condition that can be fatal in elephants.
Please send a message to Howard's Flea Market and the USA Flea Market urging them to make the prudent and compassionate decision never to host Liebel again.
Liebel's animal-welfare violations span decades. He has been cited for nearly 200 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and in 2013, he was ordered to pay a penalty following nearly three dozen charges for AWA violations, including for chaining Nosey so tightly that she could barely move, denying her adequate veterinary care, and endangering the public. On top of that, Nosey has been consistently lame for over a year and is likely suffering from painful arthritis, a condition that can be fatal in elephants.
Please send a message to Howard's Flea Market and the USA Flea Market urging them to make the prudent and compassionate decision never to host Liebel again.
After a Lifetime of Abuse in the Logging Industry, Rescued Elephant Finally Finds Sanctuary.
A long way journey for Dipor elephant from logging to riding. She had a both broken front leg. Now She is roaming free and has made many new friends in the last home no work anymore at Elephant Nature Park Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Learn more : www.saveelephant.org
Funding to Crack Down on Illegal Ivory Trade Restored in Congressional Budget! Congress cleared a year-end spending deal Friday, December 18 and the budget plan is a big win for elephants.
Previous versions of the bill were laced with potentially disastrous consequences for animals, including a provision that would have blocked efforts to crack down on the illegal ivory trade in the United States. Demand for ivory has led to an elephant poaching crisis, with more than 100 elephants killed for their tusks every day. Africa has already lost 60 percent of its wild elephants and if this rate continues, the species is expected to go extinct within the next 10 years. President Barack Obama’s administration previously unveiled a set of efforts designed to restrict ivory trade in the U.S., which is the second-largest retail market for illegal ivory behind only China, where ivory fetches up to $3,000 per kilo.
Backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), a former rider in the omnibus budget would have prevented stronger regulations on ivory imports, exports, and commercial sale of ivory goods. It also included more than a dozen provisions to the Endangered Species Act that would have removed protections for threatened and endangered species including gray wolves.
You see, if you’re a Congressperson with loyalty to a powerful special interest group, such as the NRA, the omnibus budget provides a perfect opportunity to slip in something unsavory that would benefit the organization (or the organization’s leaders) into U.S. law. At well over a thousand pages long, it’s fairly easy to sneak things in, and if it isn’t passed, the government shuts down – let’s not do that again, guys. That means that the NRA, which has some major players who love killing endangered animals so much, that one of their lead lobbyists once shot down a bull elephant on television, can have a catastrophic influence on conservation efforts while going seemingly unnoticed.
Huge steps forward have been made to protect elephants in recent years, including a set of tougher laws prohibiting the sale of items containing ivory, unless the seller could provide proof that the item is more than 100 years old. However, the NRA has fought back by claiming such legislation is an attack on gun owners who wish to sell their guns since some firearms contain ornamental ivory. In fact, hidden in the last line of the Lawful Ivory Protection bills that were introduced last year, which aim to allow gun owners to continue to sell their ivory-decorated firearms, sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), was a clause that would still protect Americans who legally kill elephants for sport.
Fortunately, riders to further block efforts that crack down on ivory imports, exports and commercial sales were not included in the latest omnibus budget, making way for FWS’ Office of Law Enforcement to take a stronger stand against ivory trafficking.
“The final omnibus bill rejects all of the new riders designed to undermine the Endangered Species Act and our nation’s commitment to wildlife and wildlands. These riders were part of one of the worst congressional attacks we’ve ever seen on endangered wildlife and the Endangered Species Act. Keeping these out of the omnibus bill is a major victory for wildlife. We commend our champions in Congress, the Department of the Interior and the Obama administration who successfully fended off this assault,” Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark said in a press release.
What Can You Do To Help End Elephant Poaching?
First and foremost, the best thing you can do to help end the wildlife trade is to stop purchasing wild animal products. Every ivory trinket was created from an elephant was killed. By spreading awareness about the plight of elephants and all of world’s endangered wildlife, we can help people see the consequences of their actions. Share this post and help save these amazing animals while they’re still here.
Previous versions of the bill were laced with potentially disastrous consequences for animals, including a provision that would have blocked efforts to crack down on the illegal ivory trade in the United States. Demand for ivory has led to an elephant poaching crisis, with more than 100 elephants killed for their tusks every day. Africa has already lost 60 percent of its wild elephants and if this rate continues, the species is expected to go extinct within the next 10 years. President Barack Obama’s administration previously unveiled a set of efforts designed to restrict ivory trade in the U.S., which is the second-largest retail market for illegal ivory behind only China, where ivory fetches up to $3,000 per kilo.
Backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), a former rider in the omnibus budget would have prevented stronger regulations on ivory imports, exports, and commercial sale of ivory goods. It also included more than a dozen provisions to the Endangered Species Act that would have removed protections for threatened and endangered species including gray wolves.
You see, if you’re a Congressperson with loyalty to a powerful special interest group, such as the NRA, the omnibus budget provides a perfect opportunity to slip in something unsavory that would benefit the organization (or the organization’s leaders) into U.S. law. At well over a thousand pages long, it’s fairly easy to sneak things in, and if it isn’t passed, the government shuts down – let’s not do that again, guys. That means that the NRA, which has some major players who love killing endangered animals so much, that one of their lead lobbyists once shot down a bull elephant on television, can have a catastrophic influence on conservation efforts while going seemingly unnoticed.
Huge steps forward have been made to protect elephants in recent years, including a set of tougher laws prohibiting the sale of items containing ivory, unless the seller could provide proof that the item is more than 100 years old. However, the NRA has fought back by claiming such legislation is an attack on gun owners who wish to sell their guns since some firearms contain ornamental ivory. In fact, hidden in the last line of the Lawful Ivory Protection bills that were introduced last year, which aim to allow gun owners to continue to sell their ivory-decorated firearms, sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), was a clause that would still protect Americans who legally kill elephants for sport.
Fortunately, riders to further block efforts that crack down on ivory imports, exports and commercial sales were not included in the latest omnibus budget, making way for FWS’ Office of Law Enforcement to take a stronger stand against ivory trafficking.
“The final omnibus bill rejects all of the new riders designed to undermine the Endangered Species Act and our nation’s commitment to wildlife and wildlands. These riders were part of one of the worst congressional attacks we’ve ever seen on endangered wildlife and the Endangered Species Act. Keeping these out of the omnibus bill is a major victory for wildlife. We commend our champions in Congress, the Department of the Interior and the Obama administration who successfully fended off this assault,” Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark said in a press release.
What Can You Do To Help End Elephant Poaching?
First and foremost, the best thing you can do to help end the wildlife trade is to stop purchasing wild animal products. Every ivory trinket was created from an elephant was killed. By spreading awareness about the plight of elephants and all of world’s endangered wildlife, we can help people see the consequences of their actions. Share this post and help save these amazing animals while they’re still here.
It's unconscionable: America is one of the world's leading importers of elephant "trophies" -- like an elephant's tusks, skin or head -- harvested from the brutal hunting of these magnificent animals.
And the National Rifle Association (NRA) wants to keep it that way. They are going all out to block new rules that would help save elephants from hunters and poachers.
NRDC is moving swiftly to help end America's role in this wildlife trafficking crisis that's killing African elephants by the thousands. Will you help?
Please make an urgent year-end donation now to help us face down the NRA in Washington and come to the defense of embattled elephants.
President Obama recently proposed rules that go a long way toward shutting down the U.S. ivory market -- but sadly, they don't go far enough.
These rules still contain a giant loophole allowing American hunters to import two elephant trophies every year.
This deadly allowance must not stand. Our nation should not encourage any hunting that helps drive the collapse of elephant populations.
Meanwhile, the NRA and trophy hunting groups are hopping mad that the Administration has cut the import quota to "just" two elephant trophies per year. They want to maintain the current system, which allows any American to import an unlimited number of elephant trophies.
Your year-end, tax-deductible gift will help us counter the outsized influence of the NRA ... mobilize massive public opposition to its deadly plan ... and escalate pressure on the White House to show zero tolerance for trophy hunting and the commercial imports that threaten elephant populations.
Please make an emergency gift right away so we can fight through the holidays and into 2016 to save imperiled elephants and defend our environment in the most effective way possible.
Let's stand together and show the world that compassion for these majestic animals can triumph over cruelty and unfettered greed.
