The world is facing a crisis with one of its most precious, charismatic and beloved resources. Elephants are being slaughtered and driven to extinction. The brutality of the killings and the numbers are staggering. Almost 39 tons of illegal ivory was seized in 2011 (thought to be only 10% of what was actually taken), with a worth of up to $1,000 a pound on the streets of China. It is estimated that one elephant is killed every 15 minutes (96 a day) to insure a continuous supply of ivory for the trinkets and carvings so prized by Asian and US consumers.
Elephants are a legacy of today’s world for the future. These large-brained, magnificent animals lead socially, behaviorally and cognitively complex lives about which we have so much more to learn and appreciate. It is critically important that the global community do all that it can to protect them.
On October 4th, Thinking Animals will join others around the world in an effort to stop these horrendous crimes. Our panel discussion, Speaking Up For Elephants will cover what makes these animals so extraordinary and what is be being done world-wide by the international community to save them.