BAN THE IVORY TRADE

demo pic with crowd

Saturday’s peaceful demonstration held outside the Chinese Embassy in London was attended by passionate, wonderful people. The noise from the protesters amplified into an overpowering hum, echoing off the large buildings rising high in this concrete jungle. I stood in the chilly air which was swirling with redolent fumes, adding my voice and becoming one with the crowd. We could only be described as noisy teeming humanity: A canvas of brightly coloured ‘Anti Poaching’ placards held up high above our heads. With pride and clutching my bright yellow ‘ placard, I moved in and among the throng of people, chatting, laughing and shouting.

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The Chinese Embassy doors and windows remained firmly closed, (could have been because it was Saturday!!) as we policed our side of the road which was pulsating with life and atmosphere.  However the very building seemed to bow low from the bombardment of voices putting pressure on the Chinese to stop the demand for ivory. Cars, buses, taxis and motorbikes all added their support by hooting their approval as they roared past. Tourist buses slowed down to a crawl, as cameras clicked and friendly visitors to London waved and shouted their encouragement. One woman, wearing a cap which was shading her mischievous eyes,  had a large placard that read ‘Hoot if you love elephants’, and she leaped about like a naughty leprechaun encouraging the traffic to respond, and giving those who did not, a high voltage stare.  A comical elephant caught up in his support of ‘Banning ivory’ and ‘Stop the killing’ had the crowd behind him as he proudly strutted, creamy tusks gleaming in the sun, that had miraculously broken free of the morning clouds.

me at demo

Speakers Dominic Dyer from Care for the Wild, Mary Rice from EIA and WIll Travers from Born Free Foundation gave short and informative talks. The crowd remained silent as they held our attention, and then we all got back to the business in hand.  A young man from the Chinese Media took loads of photographs, ensuring us that he would ‘raise the awareness’ by sending all information back to China, with what I like to think will be a strong message on how the survival of our elephants and rhinos has reached ‘CRISIS POINT.’  We were also informed that Governments were now taking a serious look at the ‘Poaching Crisis’, possibly because of the evidence that is linking poaching and terrorism.

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Back home, full of good cheer and buzzing with a burning energy, my mind turns to the men and women on the ground. Out of the shadows, thoughts emerge, slinking across my mind: flanking me. From the comfort of my chair in chilly UK, I let my mind wander. All the animals are precious. They are threads in this web of  glorious life. They are the jewels of Africa, the heartbeat of Africa, and Elephants, in my opinion, are the essence of Africa. These brave men and women, The Rangers: Custodians of what we all hold dear, ‘the wildlife’, we salute you all. However, we cannot sit back and leave all the work to these people. As humans, we are all custodians of this world we share. Each and everyone of us should take responsibility. The future of our world and its inhabitants lies in our hands. Let’s look at it through the eyes of an elephant. (When you read this poem, think of the rhino, the lion and all other endangered species).

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Between 1990 and 2005, rhino poaching losses averaged out at 14 animals a year. Since 2005, demand has increased, and PEOPLE, the situation is now at crisis point. Should the sale of rhino horn and ivory be legalised? Mary Rice from Environmental Investigation Agency gave her views on the subject in October 2013.  To date, this year South Africa have lost 72 rhinos.(Possibly higher). Sadly, we are having to try and protect these powerful symbols of nature from ourselves. Elephant poaching stats are : 100 a day: 1 every 15 minutes. HEARTBREAKING. Lets not leave it until it too late.

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THE SPIRITS ARE ANGRY

THE SPIRITS ARE ANGRY

Mankind has over time been consistently intrigued by these gigantic beasts with their human like behavioral patterns. The elephant, fold upon fold of dignity, intelligence and love, engender such feelings of awe in me that I have totally fallen under the spell of these animals. To me, they are ‘Natures’ Masterpieces.’  I often wonder why humans react with such surprise on discovering how intelligent and sentient these animals are, but fortunately more and more is learnt about these animals, and we are learning they should be handled with compassion and not brutality. They are ‘human’ animals.

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When we discuss ‘animal intelligence’, do we as humans take on a anthropocentric view? Are we the most important beings? Whilst we are an intricate part of this wild and beautiful world, we are but one thread in this web of life.  We are all creatures of the soil, and we need to learn to honour all that leaves their mark  in the sand. Sadly, we seem bent on destroying not only each other, but the environment as well. These magnificent creatures and other animals are also intricately woven into evolution’s slow magic. They are however, not preoccupied with control or destruction. Elephants reveal to us humans all the goodness in creation. They possess an inner beauty: Natures soothing breeze.

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Tragically,  these creatures are being buffeted by howling winds as poachers stalk their every movement. These ‘men of death’ are not only slaughtering the creature but are also destroying what makes this animal so revered.  Man, who calls himself the ‘rational animal’, the ‘virtuous animal’ and the animal with the ability to conscientiously choose between right and wrong is responsible for the heinous crimes against nature and her creatures. These men have been instrumental in the collapse of ‘Elephant Society’ brought on by poaching.  They have disrupted the transmission of ‘Elephant Culture’ from one generation to another. Echos of harmony are quickly lost as survivors of these ruthless poaching attacks are left traumatized and rudderless. Lone elephants and elephant calves have been found either standing guard over corpses or wandering aimlessly. Youngsters with no guidance and discipline can turn into rampaging delinquents. Elephants are close-knit and emotional, with strong family bonds. For them, the bush which should be their haven, has turned into a raw and violent battlefield. What we are now seeing in behavioral patterns with elephants after a ‘genocide’ is that it is frighteningly close to how humans react.

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Me getting emotional? You damn right I am.  I cannot bear to sit around watching as humans destroy a species. It is morally wrong. Do these people who destroy and pillage the wildlife have a conscience? Can they envisage a world of shadowy spirits weaving through the bush. People, please, let us not allow it to become a vanishing world.

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Mother Nature is showing signs of anger. This poem is aimed at those who perpetrate such crimes as poaching. Although it is aimed at those involved in the cyanide poisoning of the elephants and other animals in Hwange Game Reserve in Zimbabwe, it is a little message to all those destroying the wildlife.

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ELEPHANTS BELONG ON THE LAND

Elephants belong on the land

These gentle giants, richly endowed with all the better attributes of mankind have forever been stalked and hunted by the uglier and darker side of man.  Records show that elephants used to roam from the shores of the Mediterranean in the north to the magnificent slopes of Table Mountain in the Cape, South Africa. With the hunger for ivory by man, forever snapping at their heels, before the end of the Roman Empire in North Africa, elephants no longer left a myriad of footprints on the land. Their mighty presence had gone.  They had been hunted to extinction, leaving sunsets to usher the evenings into lonely nights.

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Settlers arriving in the Cape in 1652 and using their more modern day weapons, quenched their blood lust slaughtering the wild life. The spoils from the worlds biggest land animals were carved into trinkets, piano keys and billiard balls. While herd numbers dwindled, it was not until 1822 that sense prevailed.  The British Governor in the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset declared that elephants were ‘Royal Game.’  These animals could no longer be hunted without a special permit, which had to be obtained from the Governors Office.

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Another 70 years passed by and the land of perfect bliss was close to becoming a land devoid of its four legged riches. The President, Paul Kruger of the South African Republic amended the existing laws to prohibit the hunting of elephants and rhino: he introduced licence fees, a closed hunting season and prohibited hunters from hunting on state lands. Under this umbrella of protection, the elephant population slowly recovered, once again bringing their special magic back into the veldt.

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Their peace however, was short lived. Intense attacks on the elephant populations started again during the 70’s. Men once again filled their pockets with money made through the ivory trade, and it was not long before these gentle beasts were threatened with extinction.  All international trade in ivory and all other elephant products were banned. These gentle sentient beasts with their large hearts, despite the international ban are not safe from man. The insatiable greed for ivory is killing this species.

Ivory tusks are overgrown incisors protruding from the upper jaw of the elephant. They hold no special powers, and consist mainly of dentine, which is the second hardest tissue in the body after enamel. PEOPLE, they are just teeth and every time ivory is purchased, think !!  An animal has been destroyed. Is the demise of these magnificent beasts worth a trinket or piece of jewelry.

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ELEPHANTS belong on the land (please read my poem), they do not belong on your mantel piece or in your jewelry box. The African bush devoid of elephants would be an arid land without soul. Elephants embody the very essence of the African veldt. These sensitive and intelligent creatures are in danger of becoming extinct.  Let us stand together as one, becoming one voice and ensure the survival of these amazing beasts.  Let us prove that we are also  sensitive and intelligent beings.

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INCREDIBLE ELEPHANTS

INCREDIBLE ELEPHANTS

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Powerful, dignified and awe inspiring comes to mind when I think about elephants. They are the biggest and most spectacular land animals.  A ‘big tusker‘ can stand up to 4 meters tall and weigh six or seven tonnes.  A big bull’s tusks can weigh up to 100 kilograms, and it is the elephants tusks that humans are greedy to own. Sadly, the elephants most dangerous enemy is man and their state of the art and deadly weapons of destruction.

With mans materialistic needs and fast methods of transport, we do believe that we are the superior beings. Elephants, on the other hand do not need these mod cons to interact and communicate. They have been blessed with attributes that we as humans do not have. They have the ability to communicate across the miles with sub sonic finesse and appear to have been graced with telepathic abilities. They are the ‘incredible elephants.’ (Please read my poem).

Humans will eventually mutate into beings sporting only one hand. The other will be a mobile phone responding to voice commands, taking photographs and mapping routes for us, the superior beings.  Humans and elephants have so many things in common: our life span is similar and we have a parallel rate of development, maturing into adulthood from anything between eighteen to twenty five years. Elephants, like humans feel love and loyalty for their families, and also have a strong sense of death, pining and mourning just as humans do. Like humans, they will ‘bury’ their dead, covering the body with sticks and leaves, and returning to the place of burial to pay their respects. Like man, they display their deep feelings of compassion which they have been known to extend to other animals, and humans in anguish. Like humans, elephants need the love and teachings of their elders and it is important for the calves to be disciplined by these elders. Elephant calves display the same characteristics as human children and have been known to throw tantrums, showing jealous traits towards their siblings, jumping with joy and also retreating in sadness. ‘Memory like an elephant’ is a saying that is thrown at someone with a sharp memory, and we say this for a reason. An elephants memory is something to be proud of.  They do not forget.

Elephants ask only for the space to roam free under the cerulean sky without fear, surrounded by their families and doing what elephants always do: living in the moment.  As the superior beings, we do have one thing that no other living creature does: we have the ability to change the way things are. We hold the destiny of every living creature in our hands, and yet so few of us hear the silent cries of agony and the  helpless pleas.  The greed for ‘white gold’ has become the elephants downfall and their numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate. Elephants show all the best attributes of mankind with few of them displaying our darker sides.

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