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Just Released “A Place Like No Other”

Published on October 28, 2021December 22, 2021 by elephanatic

A BIG Congratulations to Dr. Rene Beyers and Professor Tony Sinclair on their recent publication of “A Place Like No Other” by Princeton University Press.

“A Place Like No Other” is Anthony Sinclair’s firsthand account of how he and other scientists discovered the biological principles that regulate life in the Serengeti and how they rule all of the natural world. Co-authored with Dr. Rene Beyers.

A must read and a wonderful gift for the holiday season ahead!

https://lnkd.in/gD2BcRpk

#Rewilding #Biodiversity #Ecology #Ecosystems #climatechange #endangeredspecies #Serengeti #conservationeducation #conservation

Congratulate Mara Elephant Project 10-year Anniversary!

Published on September 11, 2021November 23, 2021 by elephanatic

Join Elephanatics in congratulating our partner, the Mara Elephant Project (MEP) on a decade of operation today, September 12, 2021. In the last decade, MEP focused on teaching, training, and employing Maasai men and women to be first responders to save wildlife and wild spaces. Their commitment has disrupted poaching in the Greater Mara Ecosystem, protected critical forest habitat and ecologically key areas, and kept community’s farms and families safe. Elephanatics’ support has helped increase MEP’s impact and allowed them to strengthen, build and grow their decade of success. By working together, we can save wildlife and wild spaces.

Please consider a #donation to @MaraElephantProject to celebrate their 10 years of success.

#MEPKumiAnniversary

Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources.

Everyone Urged To Speak Up For Elephants In Global Public Consultation

Published on July 23, 2021November 23, 2021 by elephanatic

PUBLIC CONSULTATION – The Canadian federal government has launched a public consultation to hear feedback on proposed measures to restrict or end the elephant ivory trade!

Everyone is urged to participate in the consultation to provide government feedback. Please take action by sending in pre-written letter here.

VANCOUVER (July 23^rd, 2021) – Elephanatics and the Ivory-Free Canada Coalition (Humane Society International, Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, Elephant and Rhino Defenders, World Elephant Day) are pleased to hear that the Canadian federal government has launched a public consultation to hear feedback on proposed measures to restrict or end elephant ivory trade.

The Ivory-Free Canada coalition along with William Shatner, Bryan Adams, Robert Bateman, and other notable Canadians are calling for a ban on the elephant ivory trade in Canada.

In the past century, the African elephant population, which is currently listed as critically endangered/endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, has declined by 96%, with leading scientists warning the population could be lost altogether within the next few decades in the absence of global intervention to disincentivize poachers.

A Canadian petition launched by the coalition has garnered 636,180 signatures asking the Canadian government to end the legal trade of elephant ivory in Canada.

Every year, as many as 35,000 elephants die at the hands of elephant ivory poachers in Africa. The African elephant population has declined by a staggering 96 percent in the last century, and African elephants are at risk of becoming extinct within a couple of decades. In March of 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and declared the African forest elephant to be Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant to be Endangered. Africa’s biodiversity is already threatened, and further loss of elephant populations will have devastating consequences.

The decline of African elephants is largely driven by poaching, motivated by demand for ivory. Accordingly, a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) resolution calls on the world community to shut down legal domestic ivory markets “as a matter of urgency”. This resolution mirrors the position of The African Elephant Coalition, which represents 78 percent of African elephant range States, as well as the position of an IUCN resolution on the closure of domestic ivory markets. Canada’s top trading partners, including the United States, China, and the United Kingdom have taken action in response.

Fran Duthie, President and Founder of Elephanatics, stated: “Tens of thousands of African elephants are killed every year to fill the global demand for elephant ivory. The world community is taking action, and more than 630,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Canadian government to ban elephant ivory trade as a matter of urgency. We encourage all Canadians to take part in the consultation and make their voices heard for African elephants.”

Robert Bateman, renowned Canadian artist and conservationist, stated: “The survival of African elephants hinges on the actions of the global community, and progressive nations like Canada have a responsibility to act accordingly. I am joining countless Canadians in calling on the Canadian government to act now and ban elephant ivory trade. I commend the government for launching a public consultation and encourage all concerned Canadians to take this critically important opportunity to speak up.”

Michael Bernard, deputy director of Humane Society International/Canada, stated: “Canada is at a crossroads and the actions we take now to protect African elephants will be remembered for generations to come. In keeping with its commitments to preserve global biodiversity and end human-induced extinctions, the Canadian government has launched a crucial public consultation. We urge all Canadians to participate and make clear that only a robust national ban on elephant ivory trade can truly help us end the senseless killing of African elephants.”

Quick Facts

Studies indicate between 25,000 and 50,000 African elephants have been poached annually in recent decades, and even the lowest estimate exceeds the elephant birth rate, thereby posing a direct threat to these populations.
In March of 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature updated the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and declared the African forest elephant to be Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant to be Endangered.
In 2016, delegates to the 17^thmeeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agreed in a resolution recommending that, “all Parties and non-Parties in whose jurisdiction there is a legal domestic market for ivory that is contributing to poaching or illegal trade, take all necessary legislative, regulatory and enforcement measures to close their domestic markets for commercial trade in raw and worked ivory as a matter of urgency.” Repeated government seizures of elephant ivory in Canada are irrefutable evidence of illegal ivory trade in this nation and likely represent a fraction of existing illegal trade.
The African Elephant Coalition, comprised of 32 African nations (including 29 elephant range states) states, “any supply of ivory, including that within otherwise legal domestic markets, inherently increases the risk to elephant populations and local communities, due to the opportunity it creates for the laundering of illegal ivory under the guise of legality.”
Canada’s top trading partners, including the United States, China and the United Kingdom have closed their elephant ivory markets in response to declining elephant populations.
In addition to elephant ivory trade, Canada allows the import of elephant tusks and parts from trophy hunts. Approximately 300 African elephant tusks – representing 150 elephants – were legally imported into Canada from 2010-2018.
94% of Canadians support an elephant ivory trade ban (Insights West, 2020) and a public petition calling for a Canadian ban on elephant ivory trade has amassed over 600,000 signatures.
Canada recently backed the G7 2030 Nature Compact to stop and reverse biodiversity loss, specifically pledging to “meet targets to increase the abundance of species populations worldwide, significantly reduce overall species extinction risk and eventually stop human-induced extinctions”.

More information regarding the Open Letter can be found here.

For interview requests, please call or email media contact below.

Media Contact

Tessa Vanderkop – Vice President, Elephanatics t. 604 789-8886 e. elephanaticsinfo@gmail.com

Take The Elephant Trumpet Challenge

Published on July 8, 2020August 13, 2020 by elephanatic

Take The Elephant Trumpet Challenge to Make It A Million Signatures!

We are excited to announce the Make It A Million promotion for the Ivory-FreeCanada petition! We have almost reached 600,000 signatures and we want to Make It A Million by World Elephant Day on August 12. Please help by taking the Elephant Trumpet Challenge at: https://elephanatics.org/makeitamillion/

Khatsahlano Days July 7th

Published on June 30, 2018 by elephanatic

Come join the fun at the annual Khatsahlano Street Party. Local bands, artisans, food trucks, giveaways and more! Look for the Elephanatics tent where we will be promoting our “Ride A Bike Not An Elephant” campaign to protect elephants from the unethical tourism industry. Our very popular “Ride A Bike Not An Elephant” t-shirts will be for sale for $30, as well as other cute elephant items. 100% of the net profit will go to free an abused elephant to a sanctuary in Asia. Get your photo taken with our awesome 2-metre, blow-up elephant! Free temporary tattoos and lots of elephant information! Hope to see you there! 🙂
www.khatsahlano.com

Semi Final Pink Tshirt

#ivoryfreecanada

Published on March 3, 2018August 9, 2018 by elephanatic

Did you know it is still legal to buy and sell ivory in Canada? Both African and Asian elephants may be extinct in the wild in our lifetime, mainly due to poaching.

Elephanatics created the #ivoryfreecanada campaign to help keep our elephants alive.

Elephanatics wrote a letter to the Canadian government, requesting a ban on all domestic trade of elephant ivory. Over 80 Canadian and international scientists, politicians and animal organizations have co-signed the letter!

We Need Your Help!

Download the #ivoryfreecanada mini-poster or create your own with the same hashtag. Take a photo of you holding it and post it on social media with the handles: #ivoryfreecanada and @elephanaticsbc.

Challenge your friends to do the same to save elephants.

2. Email your photo to elephanaticsinfo@gmail.com and we will add it to this page.

3. Sign the petition that will also go to the government. We need as many signatures as possible (Canadian or international citizens) before March 7, 2018. Share it on facebook and twitter.

4. Tell your friends and family about the elephant crisis and how a domestic ban on elephant ivory trade would help.

Tessa

Leanne

Fran and family

Rob, Neptoon Records owner

The Global March for Elephants & Rhinos – Toronto Team!

Andrea

Keith McCafferty – Burning Hearts Soul Club – Vancouver

Chris from band Peach Pit

In the last century, the Asian elephant population has declined by over 50% and African elephants have plummeted by 97%. Poaching for ivory threatens the very survival of our elephants. The two largest consumers of ivory – China and the United States – have banned domestic ivory sales. So why not Canada?

A Petition to the Canadian Government

Sign here.

Will we be the generation that lets elephants become extinct?

A shocking 20,000 elephants are killed every year for their ivory. Scientists and conservationists agree that at this rate, both African and Asian elephants will be extinct in the wild within our lifetime.

Even so, at the last IUCN World Conservation Congress, Canada was 1 of only 4 countries to oppose the closure of domestic ivory markets across the globe.

Ivory is so valuable on the black market that organized terrorism syndicates such as the Lord’s Resistance Army are committing mass slaughter using helicopters and AK-47 rifles. In 1980 Africa had more than 1.3 million elephants – today it has approximately 415,000. In less than 40 years, 70% of our elephants have disappeared.

In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) made it illegal to sell elephant ivory internationally. But each country makes its own laws regarding the sale of ivory within their borders. When domestic trade is allowed it permits illegal ivory (poached after 1989) to be sold along with legal ivory because it’s difficult to differentiate between old and new ivory without extensive and costly testing. The only way to protect elephants from extinction is to ban ALL elephant ivory trade.

China is the largest consumer of ivory in the world. It shut down its domestic ivory trade at the end of 2017. If China can stop their domestic trade, why can’t Canada?

On March 1, 2018, the United States lifted the ban on the importation of elephant trophies. If the U.S. cannot protect elephants, there is even more onus on the rest of the world to do all we can to save this iconic species.

We feel new legislation can protect both elephants and the indigenous trade of narwhal and walrus. We ask the government of Canada to:

1. ban all domestic trade of elephant ivory; and

2. make the import, export and re-export of all elephant ivory illegal.

Let’s make Canada one of the many countries changing their laws to allow the survival of the world’s largest mammal before it’s too late. Sign for an #ivoryfreecanada.

Sincerely,
Fran Duthie
President, Elephanatics
www.elephanatics.org

Photo: Larry Laverty

Elephants Don’t Belong In Canada

Published on May 26, 2016 by elephanatic

Elephants living in Canada are captive elephants. The climates in which they live and prosper are warm climates and if they have not been entrapped in the tourist or logging trades in Asia, then they have the opportunity to wander freely for kilometres each day in search of food and water along old migratory routes.And while they face many challenges in their native environments (something we’re working to change) having them live in captivity in zoos and circuses is not the answer at all.

This blog post reminds us why elephants don’t belong here. The three Toronto elephants finally found their home in California where they are free to wander unencumbered by enclosures. But there still are elephants in Canada and as a side note Tarzan Zerbini typically brings his elephants from the US to Canada each year to perform in a traveling circus(yes you heard that right) . This year they are embroiled in a lawsuit so they won’t be in their usual spots in Canada including Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, and numerous stops in Ontario and Quebec.

Please have a read and share this. 2197902651_936e506ff5_b

Thanks to Animal Justice for this post.

There are approximately 35 zoos in Canada, not including aquariums. Within these zoos, there are several different species of wild animals, not native to Canadian climate, living in captivity. There are several arguments commonly used to support the continued existence of zoos, including, but not limited to, amusement, education, research, and preserving endangered species. However, keeping wild animals in captivity means taking an animal away from its native habitat (1). Many animals are native to habitats with sunny weather and high temperatures year round, which when brought into captivity may be forced to spend their lives, year round, in North American Zoos. Canada, in particular, experiences a prolonged winter where the temperature is uninhabitable for animals not suited to its climate. This blog entry will focus on elephants in Canadian zoos and recent changes affecting their well-being.

Elephants are the largest of all land animals, adult males can weigh between 4,000 and 14,000 pounds and females can weigh between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds (2). Elephants living in an enclosure, where they are unable to live a life reflecting anything closet to normal, simply for the entertainment of the public is absurd. Wild animals in captivity should not be a weekend activity for the amusement of city dwellers. Entertainment, education, and research can be achieved without the confinement of wild animals in unnatural habitats, and preserving endangered species can be accomplished in appropriate sanctuaries.

It is true that elephants in zoos don’t have to cope with the challenges of living in the wild; however, these elephants face a variety of other challenges that they have no natural mechanism to cope with. The challenges that elephants face in the wild include poaching, predation, and drought. The challenges that elephants in captivity face include lack of space, standing on hard ground surfaces, inactivity, abnormal social situations, and captivity-associated stress.

Despite being provided with veterinary care and the attention of professional keepers, elephants in zoos routinely deal with problematic health issues, both mental and physical. Several health issues are caused specifically from a life of captivity, such as: obesity; arthritis; foot infections (the leading cause of death among captive elephants); reproduction problems; psychological disorders; early mortality; low fertility; and, engagement in a wide variety of abnormal behaviours, such as stereotypic swaying, killing of infants, and aggression toward other elephants (3).

All elephants require space, socialization, family, entertainment, and the freedom to enjoy their life. Wild elephants spend their days roaming large distances; their home terrain can be several hundred, or several thousand, square kilometres (4). Elephants are social animals and it is normal for an elephant to live in a large herd where security and comfort are guaranteed, socialization and resource sharing are part of daily life, and knowledge and experience can be shared with other members of the family. Elephants spend the majority of their days moving around and foraging for food. Most elephants are active up to 18-20 hours every day, keeping them fit, healthy, and happy. Elephants require an expansive amount of space in order to maintain their health. Their constant activity and movement exercises joints and ligaments, maintains muscle tone, burns fat, and ensures good blood flow (5).