http://www.march4elephantsandrhinos.org/#!the-crisis/c1dyn
The Crisis
Africa loses 4 elephants to poachers EVERY HOUR, EVERY
DAY of the year. It is estimated that less than 300,000 survive today. Africa
loses 3 rhinos to poachers EACH DAY; of the 5 species of rhino, less than
25,000 survive today.
With so few numbers left, and such a slow rate of
reproduction, these two species are rapidly heading for extinction, unless we –
ALL OF US – do something to ensure they survive.
These remarkable and highly intelligent animals are
being cruelly slaughtered in the most inhumane ways, with poachers often
hacking off their tusks or horns while they are still alive. The agony these
helpless creatures endure, and – especially for elephants – the anguish for
their surviving family members, is unimaginable. Elephants have close family
bonds and rely on the elders of their group to lead and teach them; when these
are killed, the herd is left devastated and shattered, and if babies lose their
mother they often will not survive either.
The upsurge in the killing spree over the last 8 years
has been driven by the demand for ivory and horn in Asian countries – China is
the biggest consumer of ivory (70% of the world’s ivory ends up as trinkets for
the Chinese middle class), and Vietnam is the main consumer of rhino horn.
The money made from the illicit trade in ivory and
rhino horn supports terrorist organizations in Africa and fuels civil strife
and instability. Wildlife crime is estimated at $20 billion per year.
The problem has become a global one, as trans-national criminal networks and
heavily armed poaching gangs coordinate the bloody chain – from killing the
animals, to smuggling their body parts for export, to selling them in outlets
all over the world.
Meanwhile the plains and forests of Africa and Asia
grow silent and barren, devoid of their once abundant wildlife.
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