Endangered Animals - Elephants
Elephants are the largest animals on land. There are two species of elephants, African elephants and Asian elephants. They both used to exist in great numbers across Africa and parts of Asia. Today, both of these gentle giants are endangered. Twenty-five years ago, there were approximately 1.3 million elephants in Africa, but now it is estimated that there are about 500,000. In Asia, the numbers are even less.Sample these Internet sites and complete the elephants activities for each one to learn more about elephants, to find out the reasons why they are endangered, and to learn what can be done to protect them.
There is some evidence emerging that sales of ivory stockpiles lead to increase poaching.Photo credit D Willets/IFAW
End to one-off sales needed
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is calling for urgent action to protect elephants. It calls on the European Union and all CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) parties to stop supporting one-off ivory sales, legal ivory trade and elephant down-listing proposals. Instead, they are urged to support Kenya's proposal to extend the current "resting period" on elephant and ivory decisions from nine to 20 years when it is introduced at the next meeting of CITES in March 2010. IFAW also calls on the EU to help range states that are requesting assistance to fight poaching.
IFAW's UK Director Robbie Marsland said: "Most people will be shocked to hear that, 20 years on from a ban on international ivory trade, elephants in Africa are still threatened by commercial poaching. The ivory trade must be banned once again, and comprehensively, if we want to prevent the extinction of elephants."
Ivory sales lead to ivory poachingInitially, the ivory moratorium worked. Elephant poaching dropped in most African range states and ivory market prices plummeted around the world from 1990 until discussions over one-off ivory stockpile sales started in 1996. Since then figures have shown that domestic ivory markets, or limited ivory sales, lead directly to increased poaching - even if not necessarily in the same country.
Illegal wildlife trade worth $20 billion
The international illegal trade in wildlife is second only to the illegal trade in drugs and arms and worth an estimated $20 billion (£12.5bn) annually, according to Interpol.
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Funding wars
Illegal ivory is now being used in conflicts in east Africa in much the same way as ‘blood diamonds' were in civil wars across west Africa in the 1990s. Demand for ivory in the Far East, particularly China, has reached record levels. The Sudanese Janjaweed cross into Chad to poach ivory and then take it back across the border to Khartoum where it is sold on to China.
Because the fate of an entire species is at stake, we cannot continue experimenting with limited ivory markets, one-off sales or population down-listings. A mistaken belief in the power of ‘free markets' is driving elephants to extinction.
Mr Marsland added: "Sadly, the truth is that ivory trade anywhere is a threat to elephants everywhere. On the 20th anniversary of the ban, let's do all we can to end the ivory trade and safeguard elephants for the future."
3000 elephants and 11 rangers kileld in Chad
The majority of elephant range states in Africa, among them some of the poorest countries in the world, call for a stop to all ivory trade. These countries need our full support - legal, financial and moral - to protect their elephant populations. African elephant range states do not have the capacity or resources to combat poaching conducted by major crime syndicates. Europe needs to provide meaningful assistance to curb the killing.
As an example, Chad's Zakouma National Park contained 3,885 elephants in 2005. By 2009 that figure had plummeted to only 617 elephants and 11 rangers had been killed by poachers in the four-year period. According to officials in Chad the chief suspects were fighters from neighbouring war-torn Sudan.Illegal Ivory Trade Threaten African Elephants With Imminent Extinction
The illegal ivory trade is a multi-faceted problem, with shocking levels of organization, corruption, and ‘brisk business’. What will it take to end it?
Tens of thousands of elephants are slaughtered for their tusks every year. The ivory trade and resultant elephant poaching are reaching historic proportions and elephant populations in several parts of Africa are dangerously close to local extinction. Many are perplexed as to why these atrocities continue following the 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) ban on ivory. This billion-dollar black market industry is extremely complex, with a shocking level of organization. It envelops a host of highly sensitive and controversial issues at the economic, political, and societal levels. What lines will need to be crossed in order to shut down the illegal ivory trade and secure a future for these magnificent animals?
Photo credit: Chris Wildblood
To understand what this battle to save the elephant (and thus whole ecosystems) entails, we must first understand how the ivory trade works. The simple answer is the numerous exchanges of ivory and currency between poachers, carriers, traders, distributors, dealers, and consumers. It’s all fueled by an ever-increasing demand for this substance, primarily from East and Southeast Asia and especially from China. Everything in this illicit trade is planned out to the most intricate of details, which is made easier by the many technological advancements that have become staples of the modernized western lifestyle.
Photo via gnkangonline.com
The Ivory Trade’s Chain of Command
We have reached a time in human history where nearly everyone has a mobile phone—including normal, everyday citizens in some of the poorest regions of Africa. What has become an affixed feature in many people’s daily ensemble, has also been a key component in the demise the world’s elephants. The increased availability of these devices has also amplified the number of people poaching, which means more ivory can be obtained, enabling large-scale operations to be carried out by organized crime syndicates.
Ivory trade comes full circle when a device used to help kill an elephant, is also adorned in it's coveted body parts.
An order is placed with a middleman and a network of phone calls begin the process. Buyers contact poachers to procure a determined amount of ivory. Poachers make their own set of phone calls to make arrangements. Some may be placed to “crooked” rangers who provide information on patrols or even locations of herds—at a price, of course. Local villagers familiar with the area may also be hired as guides, for as little as US $15 per trip in some places.
Photo via banivory.wildlifedirect.org
Although poaching does occur throughout the year, the rainy season is the “busy season” for poachers. The weather conditions during this time see a dramatic decrease in the number of tourists and hunters in the bush and the terrain becomes difficult to police, giving rise to favorable circumstances for these criminal activities. When the order is placed, poachers—often supplied with weapons and ammunition from traders—take to the bush with their accomplices and violently claim their currency: the elephant’s ivory tusks. The poacher then buries these elongated incisors, phones the buyer to tell him that his order is ready, and awaits further instructions.
Photo via Africa Hunting
Buyers commonly travel to these cached ivory hiding places to obtain the “goods”. In these remote villages, they pay only a small fraction of what the ivory will ultimately fetch at the consumer level. In some areas of Tanzania, they may pay the poacher as little as US $19 per kilo. They then use “mules” (or carriers) to get the contraband to traders.
Photo credit: WWFCARPO/Jengi
Numerous, creative ways are used to move the ivory to the necessary destinations in preparation for export to Asia. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), this intermediate transport often happens by way of public transport, government vehicles, funeral and wedding vehicles, ambulances, and even Red Cross automobiles. There is much planning involved in concealing the tusks, securing the vehicles, and identifying the routes to be taken. Frequently, border officials and other authorities are paid off in exchange for allowing the contraband to pass through. If a government vehicle is used, it likely won’t be checked at all. Other times, they may pay criminal gangs or rebels for use of secured smuggling routes. However they get it to its intended destination, the ivory is rarely discovered.
Photo via lonelyplanetimages.com
The involvement of organized crime syndicates in this trade becomes very clear at the time of export. Large-scale shipments of ivory, which are only the work of such crime rings, are made possible through the synchronized arrival and collection of several small ivory caches from multiple sources. Adding to their extensive payroll, customs officials, airport security, and staff from freight and transportation companies are often paid for their assistance and silence. This can even involve people at every location that the illegal cargo must pass through before reaching its final destination.
Photo via EIA
How Many Elephants Are Actually Being Killed?
International transit is the part of the process where massive seizures take place. EIA Executive Director, Mary Rice, explains that the sheer volume of shipments that Customs officials and relevant authorities handle at a given location limits how many they can check for illegal wildlife products. She says they only see about 20% of what’s actually being moved, adding that this is a conservative estimate. With the tens of thousands of kilograms of ivory that are now seized annually, it is shocking to consider that four times as much could be moving around the world undetected.
Photo credit: AP
Think of this in terms of elephants. The average weight of a single African elephant tusk has decreased dramatically—even in just the last 20 years—almost certainly in response to poaching pressure. Today, a single tusk weighs an average of around eight to ten kilograms, meaning a one tonne shipment could be the equivalent of over 60 elephants. Since the start of 2010, officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport alone have seized over five and a half tonnes of ivory. If this is only 20% of what had actually been moved through this particular airport during this time frame, that could mean 22 tonnes—the tusks of some 1,100-1,375 elephants—passed through unnoticed and entered the ivory markets.
Photo credit: Panjit Tansom/TRAFFIC
Between 1999 and 2009, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) documented a total of over 213 tonnes of ivory seized in Africa and more than 90 tonnes in South and Southeast Asia. That’s over 303 tonnes of ivory! As this may very well represent only a fifth of what is being traded, this means close to 95,000 African elephants may have been killed for their tusks in just ten years—a rate of 26 individuals per day. Other figures are even higher, with the International Fund for Animal Welfare suggesting over 100 of these African icons are killed on a daily basis, 36,500 per year.
Photo credit: Andrew John Linton
During EIA’s recent undercover operations, they were informed of several instances that involved Chinese government officials purchasing large amounts of ivory to take back to China in “diplomatic bags”. Additionally, other smugglers have repeatedly attempted to transport ivory in their luggage. Clearly, there is some portion of the ivory trade that is not currently accounted for.
Photo credit: Suvarnabhumi Airport Passenger Control Customs Bureau
Corruption and the Chinese Connection
It’s also believed some government officials in Africa are involved in the illegal trade—either directly or by simply turning a blind eye to criminal acts and allowing them to continue. EIA has exposed many instances where government resources for wildlife management have been misused and abused. Also, there has been controversy over some nations’ reported elephant population figures, with some experts pointing out obvious inconsistencies from Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Zambia. Many believe this indicates attempts to cover up corrupt government dealings. There is also speculation that some political leaders may even have secret deals with the Chinese government.
Photo credit: Scotch Macaskill
Whether or not this is true, it does not negate the fact that the Chinese presence in the African continent is large and increasing. The growing Chinese footprint is closely correlated with the influx of poaching of elephants, rhinos, and other animals. In fact, a recent WikiLeaks document confirms that Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has “noticed a marked increase in poaching wherever Chinese labor camps were located” and that “90 percent of the ivory smugglers detained at JKIA are Chinese nationals”.
Photo credit KWS
During EIA’s undercover investigations, several traders admitted that much of their clientele is Chinese, often businessmen and contractors. This local demand is so large, in fact, that EIA reports traders are fully aware of and frequently use the Mandarin words for ivory and rhino horn. Wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, reports that Chinese Customs officials seized ivory products from returning tourists on 710 separate occasions in 2009—the highest number ever recorded by any country in a single year. Additionally, there have several arrests of Chinese and other Asian nationals in connection with trade in ivory and rhino horns in Africa.
Photo credit: Dai Kurokawa
Interestingly, 2008’s controversial, CITES-approved one-off sales of ivory from government stockpiles resulted in 108 tonnes being sold exclusively to China and Japan, the only nations that showed interest in purchasing it. The idea behind the auctions was to reduce poaching by flooding the market and reducing the value. Just over two years later, the nations seem to have burnt through this supply and elephant poaching is now approaching record levels. Most conservationists feel the plan backfired and has only further jeopardized these pachyderm populations by whetting the appetite for their ivory.
Photo credit: William Cullen
The Obstacles Blocking Efforts to End Ivory Trade: Society, Culture, Economics, and Politics
In China and other Asian nations, ivory is carved into intricate figurines and other elaborate décor, which symbolize higher social status. Because this is a part of Chinese tradition, there is much debate over how to approach the consumer end of the trade. Some feel that it is a sensitive issue, where much caution must be used to avoid condemnation or oppression of a culture. However, many others feel that the ivory trade has become more about money than about cultural tradition, pointing to the fact that it is now a billion-dollar illegal market.
Car adorned in ivory.
Of course, there is also the economic aspect of this lucrative industry. There has been impressive and rapid growth of the Chinese economy and those of other Asian nations. Not only is the economy exploding in these places, but the human population is as well. This leads to more people being able to afford more ivory. On the supply side of the trade, there are many unemployed people living in desperate conditions created by economic collapse. The combination of these two factors creates a recipe for disaster, with dwindling elephant populations at the center of it all.
T he ivory trade is deeply political too. International discussions about this topic often see science and conservation taking a back seat to politics. Because CITES trade bans are a signatory agreement and not actual law, there is little that can be done when a member fails to follow the guidelines. While CITES can implement principles like the ban on ivory trade, it is up to participating nations to make it law in their own countries and to enforce it. This seems to be where the problem is, as some member parties have failed to do these things. Penal action could potentially be taken against an offending member; however, the chances of this happening are unlikely because of political bonds that see allied nations sticking together and supporting each other.
Photo via EIA
African Elephants have been downlisted to the CITES Appendix II in the four countries where the one-off sales were approved: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Under Appendix II, some trade is permitted, whereas virtually no trade is allowed under Appendix I. This means that regulated domestic trade of ivory is allowed in these four nations by CITES standards, but it cannot leave the country. However, the national laws on this vary. Despite the 2008 ivory auctions and their Appendix II listing, no trade of ivory is permitted by Botswana legislation. South Africa allows regulated domestic trade, but it is prohibited from crossing national borders. In Zimbabwe, domestic trade is allowed, but it cannot leave the country unless a non-commercial use permit has been granted—meaning it is not intended for commercial purposes.
Photo via evilshare.com
Incongruent standings such as these, as well as the past one-off sales, have sent a set of mixed messages to the public. Is ivory trade acceptable, or isn’t it? How come sometimes it is, and other times it is not? These kinds of questions seem to have unclear answers and lead to much confusion. The message could be better clarified if CITES were to reenact the all-out ban on ivory trade until control can be gained over the situation. Additionally, these loopholes provide avenues for illegal ivory to enter the market. A trader in Zambia told EIA that he frequently exports through Durban, South Africa because it is so easy to do there. Mary Rice suggests that CITES must use their own mechanisms to prevent illegal laundering.
Photo via EIA
What can be done?
Government officials, authorities, and higher-level involvement in illegal ivory trade must be effectively dealt with. Bringing awareness to corruption will pressure governments to hold all individuals responsible for their actions, regardless of their level or position. Governments must also be pressured to be transparent in their stance on the ivory trade and actions taken against it. Burning government stockpiles in public will send a clear message that illegal ivory trade will not be tolerated and will gain international support for their commitment.
In leading by example, governments can encourage their people to take action too. EIA found that “buyers” in Tanzania are often retired military, police, and government officials. This puts villagers in a precarious position, as it certainly must be difficult to say “no” to these authoritative figures and to openly oppose poaching and trade activities. They must be empowered to refuse involvement. Incentives to report criminal activities could provide an excellent advantage to ending these atrocities. However, given the violent nature of organized crime syndicates, it is imperative that these people feel safe in cooperating with efforts to halt these acts.
Photo credit: Joni Johnson-Godsy
Rangers and anti-poaching teams must also be motivated to do their jobs correctly and with pride in their moral decisions. Direct pressure from government officials or authorities can make it very hard for them to do the right thing. Can you imagine saying no to your superiors, risking losing your job or worse? These wildlife defenders must be supported and acknowledged for their hard work when it resists immoral influences.
Photo via Strider ExpeditionsELEPHANT SANCTUARIES: SAVE ASIAN AND AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
Elephant sanctuaries in Asia and Africa are working to reverse the dramatic decline that the elephant population has suffered over the last few decades. Demand for ivory, poaching, and habitat loss have caused both Asian and African elephant populations to dwindle. Only seventy years ago, Africa was home to five to ten million wild elephants. But when African elephants were listed as one of the world's most endangered species in 1989, less than one percent (about 600,000) remained. These magnificent animals, once roaming freely over the entire African continent, can now only be found in the wild in small pockets of the Sahara. Asian elephants face an even greater risk of extinction. Today, the World Wildlife Fund reports that the Asian elephant population has been reduced from 200,000 to small isolated herds of 35,000 to 50,000. Thai elephants face two problems:
Organizations like Save The Elephants are creating elephant sanctuaries, teaching elephant protection, wildlife conservation, and management to local residents. You can help elephant conservationists in Asia and Africa save and rehabilitate these intelligent, sensitive and majestic animals.
- Wild Thai elephants, once numbering 300,000 now number around 1,500.
- Meanwhile, due to the destruction of their forest habitat, followed by logging bans, hundreds of domesticated homeless and unemployed Thai elephants can be founded begging on the streets of Bangkok, leaving them open to abuse and illegal smuggling.
- Responsible Travel offers elephant conservation programs in Sri Lanka. Volunteers will study Asian elephants and help to develop management approaches for local residents. The program fee is approximately $2,000 for two weeks and includes meals and accommodations with electricity, showers and flush toilets.
- The Elephant Nature Park in Thailand allows volunteers to assist with caring for the elephants, from bathing elephants to basic health care. Meals and rustic accommodations are provided with two-week stays ($260 each week). The park also offers day trips, and 1-4 night trips.
- Global Vision seeks volunteers to help track desert elephants and work on community programs in the northwestern regions of the Namib Desert, Africa. Excluding travel expenses, the cost is approximately $1,600 for two weeks and includes all food, transportation and accommodation during the project.
- Tembe Elephant Park encourages student volunteers to participate in its elephant conservation program near Durban, South Africa. Five week to three month stays (or longer) include meals, accommodations, and transportation in and around Tembe Park, costing approximately $225 per week.
How can YOU help elephants?
You can help in many important ways:Don’t buy ivory, don’t sell ivory, don’t wear ivory!
You can also express your view to others that there should be no trade in ivory. This is even more important if you have influential friends or contacts in decision-making positions related to this issue! Most nations (169) participate in CITES, The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, and every two and a half years when the Convention meets the topic of whether to allow the sale of elephant products (mainly ivory) is up for discussion. Make your feelings known!
Be an Eco-Tourist
Finding ways for people and free-ranging elephants to live in harmony is a major challenge. In some countries projects have shown that it is possible to influence positive attitudes towards elephant as long as local communities benefit, through tourism, from the presence of elephants. In this context eco-tourism based on respect for people, nature and local culture can be an important contributor.
Support Conservation Efforts
Another way to help elephants is to give your support to those institutions, projects and individuals who work to better understand and conserve elephants, whether this be through applied conservation or basic research. The Internet, which you as a web-surfer probably already know, is a good source of information on the types of projects that are being undertaken across Africa and Asia.
Support initiatives and efforts that will improve the situation for captive elephants
The vast majority of captive elephants experience circumstances far below what they need to live a decent life. Fortunately, more and more people are aware that this is so, and are beginning to challenge the status quo. As a result, we are beginning to feel the “winds of change” and some debates are so heated that the elephants may feel the rumblings, too! The zoo industry is beginning to question age-old practices and looking to elephant wild biology to develop environments that allow elephants to be elephants. Zoos have a very long way to go, however, and you can make a difference by encouraging zoos not to keep elephants where the cold winters necessitate elephants being indoors, and where there is insufficient space to allow elephants to live in social groups, and where the management style doesn’t allow them to be in control of their own lives.
You can also make life better for elephants by boycotting circuses that use animals. We strongly believe that the nature of circuses creates an unbearable setting for animals in general and for elephants in particular.
Adopt an elephant
How would you like to "adopt" one of the elephants residing here at the sanctuary? A grown elephant eats about two hundred pounds of feed every day. Most of that is high-quality fresh vegetation and hay, but they also receive more expensive specially prepared grains, vitamins, minerals and produce for balanced nutrition.
Then there's veterinary care. You know what the medical costs are for your own health care. Just think what your prescriptions might cost if you weighed several thousand pounds! Of course, elephants also need shelter from the elements and knowledgeable people to care for them.
When you adopt an elephant, you can choose the individual elephant that your contribution will support. You can sponsor an elephant for:
- Three months ($35)
- Six months ($50)
- A Full Year ($100)
- A personalized sponsorship certificate
- A photo of your elephant
- A bumper sticker which states "ASK ME ABOUT MY ELEPHANT"
- A subscription to the sanctuary newsletter
- An invitation for you, your family and friends to visit the Sanctuary on visitation days.
Remember that a sponsorship makes a great gift for a family member, or that special friend who loves elephants. You'll also have the opportunity to renew your foster care at the end of our sponsorship period.You can make a real difference by assuring that unwanted elephants are given safe refuge, that studies to help all elephants worldwide continue here at the sanctuary in collaboration with various international elephant expert.
Your support will help assure that these highly endangered animals will be safeguarded for future generations.
Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary is dedicated to the preservation of both African and Asian elephants. It is the only facility in the world that promises a permanent home to any elephant in need of sanctuary for any reason. The Sanctuary now houses twelve elephants - Asian and African, male and female - which have been given a home at the request of various zoological institutions, circuses, and private owners.
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