ElephanaticsHelp us Make It A Million for elephants by World Elephant Day on August 12!
The Ivory-Free Canada Coalition includes Humane Society International/Canada, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, World Elephant Day, Elephanatics, and Global March for Elephants & Rhinos–Toronto. The coalition and almost 600,000 people have signed the Ivory-Free Canada petition asking the Canadian government to make the import, domestic sale, and export of all elephant ivory illegal, including hunting trophies. Our goal is to have a million signatures by World Elephant Day.
Approximately every 20 minutes an elephant is illegally killed for its ivory. Within our lifetime elephants will be extinct in the wild unless countries act decisively now to close all trade.
Plummeting elephant population figures tell the dismal and heartbreaking story of their systemic decimation, both through illegal poaching, trophy hunting and government inaction on the elephants’ behalf.
In the early 1900’s there were approximately 12 million elephants in Africa. Today there are only around 400,000 left. The threats elephants face – beside poaching and hunting – are numerous, including human-wildlife conflict, climate change, war and conflict, and the increased fragmentation of their territory.
In 2016 the IUCN World Conservation Congress determined that all countries should close their domestic trade of ivory. In addition, the African Elephant Coalition which consists of 32 elephant-range countries, has urgently requested all countries to immediately close their ivory trade.
Ten countries have banned their domestic ivory trade including France, China, UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Israel. Ten US states have also followed suit.
The question is, why hasn’t Canada?
The horrifying exploitation of wildlife has consequences for everyone. 70% of zoonotic diseases originate from wildlife by the transmission of pathogens from exploited wildlife to humans. The illegal wildlife trade is one of the causes of the COVID19 pandemic that continues worldwide. Domestic elephant ivory trade in Canada fuels this illegal wildlife trade and must end. The destruction of elephants – these highly intelligent, emotionally complex, family-oriented, and environmentally significant species – is devastating not just for them but for the ecosystem they are inextricably a part of. That we are all a part of. We are one world, one ecosystem.
It is more important than ever that Canada makes the import, domestic sale, and export of all elephant ivory illegal, including hunting trophies. When Canadians speak, the government will listen.
Please help us help elephants. We can make a difference for them together.
Thank you.
