Who doesn’t love to see a tranquil picture of a mother elephant with her baby roaming the savannahs in Africa? Pictures like these are becoming more treasured by the day due to the struggles these majestic animals face on a daily basis to survive.

Habitat loss, poaching and climate change, are threatening their ecosystems and their very existence.

Bringing awareness to the threats elephants are under can often bring a desire for people to want to help.

Below is a list of poaching facts and ways you can help the African elephant:

           FACTS

• 100 African elephants are killed by poachers every day for their ivory
• Over 100,000 elephants were poached from 2010-2012
• Ivory is used to make jewelry, chopsticks, trinkets, ornaments,

  and is used for religious amulets and worship

• Terrorist groups fund their criminal activities through sale of ivory
• Ivory is used for medicinal and mystical purposes
• Largest consumer of ivory is Asian countries, China being the

  largest consumer

  OTHER REASONS FOR POACHING

• Being poached or killed for bush meat
• Increasing number of changes in land-use – increase in population

  and agriculture

• Humans introducing threats to elephants by increased land

  development – forest exploitation – hunting – road construction – mining

  8 WAYS YOU CAN HELP PREVENT ELEPHANT POACHING

• Spread awareness about the ongoing poaching crisis by holding local initiatives such as a march or a concert – fundraise
• Educate people, family, friends, about your knowledge of the poaching issue – so many are unaware of the crisis
• Donate money to your favorite elephant organization http://www.elephanatics.org has a list on their website of Organizations
• Contact your local politicians to put pressure on the government to change their laws to end all trade in ivory
• Start an E-petition that will go directly to your government body like Canada has done with E-petition e-191 (Hunting)
• Harsher prison sentences for poachers
• Adopt an elephant
• DO NOT BUY IVORY