To mark #WorldElephantDay, the Conservation Action Trust held a symbolic burning of tusks at the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve and I was invited to be there. Handcrafted by local wire-workers, they reminded that a tusk has no value, except to an elephant.
CAT’s founder Francis Garrard presented to the crowd the challenges that elephants face globally, while recognised local conservationist Jacqueline Lahoud lit the stockpile.
‘Incredible to imagine that an elephant is brutally killed every 15 minutes for it’s ivory. We need to stand together and urge governments to end the corruption that poaching involves and end the devastation of one of the world’s most intelligent mammals, showing that ivory must never be traded and that all ivory stockpiles should be destroyed.‘
When the buying stops, the killing can too.
Elephants deserve the right to a wild, free and protected life. With a cold wind blowing, the burn was a stark, sad and poignant reminder of the loss of thousands of elephants annually.
Visit https://www.yearoftheelephant.org/ to learn more about the drive to change this, the devastating impact of poaching and how you can get involved.
