Hundreds of African elephant tusks that were seized in Congo. The African Elephant is well on its way to becoming extinct due to extreme rises in poaching, even though it is illegal. Their big beautiful tusks lure poachers from all over the world wanting to make a lot of money buy killing elephants for their ivory tusks. Some people believe that the ivory from an elephant tusk have special powers to heal. That along with the fact that the ivory trade produces millions of dollars each year to these poaching businesses.
Through the African Elephant Conservation Act created in 1988, elephant ivory imports are banned in the United States. However it is legal to buy, sell and transport African elephant ivory purchased before the ban. Punishments for the poaching of African elephants are not stiff enough to ensure that the Chinese immigrants will not be back in Africa killing these beautiful creatures. Illegal ivory sales can go for as much as $1,300 a pound which makes it that much harder to stomach the fact that the poacher's were only fined a combined $1,200. Your help is need to save the African elephant from extinction. Everyone can help save the African elephant by: 1- Learn about the African Elephant and spread the word to your family and friends about the need to save these beautiful creatures. You can be an advocate for the African elephant by speaking up for their conservation at community events. 2- Adopt a African elephant! Who wouldn’t want to take home a cute elephant, protect it from the bad guys, and raise it as their own? OK, so that’s not quite realistic, but there are any number of organizations that offer elephant adoptions so that you get cute pictures of “your” elephant, and they get currency to fund their elephant conservation efforts. Here are a few organizations that have adoption programs and are good places to start looking for that special pachyderm:
There are 5 other ways you can help save the African elephant: 1. Obviously, do not buy ivory. Don't sell it or wear it. New ivory is strictly banned, but antique ivory can be legally available for purchase. (The regulations are complicated; this is a good overview.) Ivory has traditionally been used for jewelry, billiard balls, pool cues, dominos, fans, piano keys and carved trinkets. Shunning antique ivory is a clear message to dealers that the material is not welcomed, and it's an easy way to show your solidarity with the elephants. 2. Buy elephant-friendly coffee and wood. Coffee and timber crops are often grown in plantations that destroy elephant habitats. Make sure to buy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber and certified fair coffee trade. 3. Be aware of the plight of captive elephants. Historically, zoos and circuses have offered elephants a life of, basically, indentured servitude. Fortunately, the zoo industry is starting to wake up and is beginning to develop more elephant-friendly environments, yet they have a long way to go. Circuses, even further. Make a difference by boycotting circuses that use animals, and by boycotting zoos that offer insufficient space to allow elephants to live in social groups, and where the management style doesn’t allow them to be in control of their own lives. See ElephantVoices for more information. 4. Support conservation efforts. If only we could all be Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey, and move to the jungle or plains and thoroughly dedicate our lives to wildlife. Alas, for most of us that’s the stuff of daydreams. In the meantime, we can support the organizations that are actively committed to elephant preservation. There are many, but here are a few:
5. Get involved with Roots & Shoots. Founded in 1991 by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, Roots & Shoots is a youth program created to incite positive change. There are hundreds of thousands of kids in more than 120 countries in the Roots & Shoots network, all working to create a better world. It’s a great way to get youth involved in conservation and pursue careers to help elephants and other wildlife. The Everglades National Park in Florida is the largest Subtropical Wilderness in the United States. It is known for the beautiful landscapes and unbelievable wildlife, with hundreds of different species and animals. But a lot of these animals, especially smaller sized animals and rodents, are in danger from a specie that does not belong there.
The Burmese Python is a constrictor from Southeast Asia that has found its way from pet owner's to Florida's National Park. They do not belong in this region or area, and it could be disastrous for the food chain in the Everglades if they are not eliminated and controlled. The pythons prey upon a diverse set of animals that includes birds and mammals and even alligators. I fell like they have failed to collaborate a plan that is sufficient enough to stop the problem or even keep it from getting worse. I think they need to help protect this area by collaborating on a more regular basis to find ways to flush these snakes out. There are already some animals that do not exist in the Everglades because of the Burmese python. Rabbits and foxes have disappeared, while raccoon, opossum and bobcat populations have dropped as much as 99%. Although U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has banned the importation of Burmese pythons, the problem still exists. A great way to preserve and protect this land would be to continue the 'Python Challenge' they held in February of 2012. The competition drew 1,600 registrants and almost 70 pythons were eliminated as a result, in only one day. The prize for the most pythons bagged in each competition (amateur and professional): $1,500. Not bad for a days work of helping preserve and protect the resources as well as the positive impact it has on the tourists that enjoy traveling to the Everglades. Here is a link to UNESCO for all the information you would need regarding the problem's that the Burmese python is causing: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/76 A great Heritage Centre for the conservation of African Elephants is the Niokolo-Koba National Park located in a well-watered area along the banks of the Gambia river. There are only a fraction of the elephants in Africa, that are in danger of being killed for their tusks, inside this National Park that is being protected and managed by the State through the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection and the National Parks Directorate. The African Elephant is in great danger of becoming extinct and the Africa needs more places like Niokolo-Koba National Park to help preserve this beautiful creature. The African Elephant, like the animals in the Everglades, need to be protected by these preserves and communities alike, respectively. The communities need to come together and collaborate to make sure that both Elephants and the Everglades can be enjoyed by millions of people each each for eternity. The culture and communities are very important in finding the fit between them and tourism. The Everglades would come alive and shine bright with all of the animals that are supposed to be living there, if one day the Burmese python was finally wiped out of its unnatural habitat. The tourism sites in Africa would come alive and well with the elimination of poaching for ivory. Both Africa and Everglades National Park are authentic and of great quality, as both are made from complete Mother Nature. The fact that they are not man made makes them this way, and it is impeccable that it stays natural and stunning. To learn more about the endangered elephants and how the local communities and tourists can help keep them alive go to: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/199 It is estimated that, over the next decade, tourism will become the single biggest contributor to Southern African gross domestic product, and the greatest creator of new and sustainable jobs on the subcontinent. The company &Beyond is dedicated to ensure that the conservation of the land and the health and safety of the wildlife continues to improve on a daily basis. &Beyond seeks to maintain a low impact on the land by creating very small luxury lodges that support enormous tracts of biodiverse land, which remains untouched. They also seek to limit their impact in terms of fossil fuels, the use of renewable energy, water and waste management, and recycling.
In many areas in KwaZulu-Natal, water is hard to access. They are affected by drought or limited infrastructure that restricts their access to water. Women and children are forced to spend hours collecting water from nearby water sources. So, together with African Foundation, &Beyond has assisted in 28 schools, with a total of 18,000 pupils, receiving water by providing reticulation from the municipal pipeline or installing boreholes and tanks. They have also provided water pumps and tanks for the establishment of nine vegetable gardens, resulting in food or income being produced for 1,300 people. Their guests play a crucial part in helping attain their vision. When you travel with them the enable them to make many small but ,meaningful differences to the world that surrounds us. Whether it is coming face to face with a previously endangered elephant, shaking the proud hand of a local elder whose once destitute community now has a future or simply witnessing the sun rising once more over lands that have been restored to their natural splendor. The guests cannot fail to be touched by the contribution that they make at &Beyond's work in Africa's wide open spaces.
For more information about these great safaris and opportunities check out their website: http://www.andbeyond.com I think that most adventure enthusiasts would agree that riding along in an SUV, suited for African landscapes, would be a great way to spend a vacation. To have an opportunity to see the wild animals of Africa in their natural habitat from the safety of an SUV would be a priceless experience. But there are ways to accomplish this while practicing ecotourism and sustainability, which would make it that much more sweet. A great way to practice ecotourism and sustainability in Africa, is to chose the way in which you will explore the beautiful terrain. Riding horseback gives explorers an effective way to slow down the pace of travel to make sure and soak up as much of the scenery and animals as possible. Farasi Safari provides an ecological and friendly way in which humans can traverse their way through bush and local villages- on the back of a horse. The speed at which at the horse walks is perfect for hiking alongside wildlife and the sensitivity of the horses makes them ideal partners. They provide safe horse safaris and welcome visitors with special requirements. Horse riding is known to improve general well-being motor skills and they have the ability to get along with all types of riders. Riding horseback prevents pollution to the air and saves money used for gas and maintenance used on the safari vehicles. Farasi Safari offers safaris via horseback from the bush to the beach, with priceless scenery and eco-friendly ways of travel. They also use locally grown produce to feed the tourist and recyclable plastics and products as often as they can. ENDANGERED SPECIES: AFRICAN ELEPHANT BLOG ENTRY
African Elephants are on their way to becoming extinct and a lot more needs to be done to make sure this does not happen. In January of 2012 11 African Elephants were killed by guns in just one day. My goal for this blog is to create awareness about the thousands of African Elephants that are killed each year for their ivory tusks that make this creature so beautiful. It is very selfish of these horrible people to kill such an amazing animal for something as small as the tusks on their heads, to make profit. African Elephant's are on their way to becoming extinct and something needs to be done immediately. It is unbelievable that up to 8,000 African Elephants are killed each year for the ivory tusks alone. The ivory from an Elephant is very beautiful and should be left on the animal for everyone to see for the rest of eternity and should not be used as a decorative piece on someone’s table or made into jewelry and worn on people. A=Attention:
The MLB postseason is near, and there is a big time race for the division of the AL West. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are vying for their place in the post season, and nothing is more crucial than the series between the Athletics and Angels from September 10th-13th in Anaheim, CA. I=Interest: The Angels have won 6 out of 10 against the A’s this season. Jarrod Weaver is 3-0 against them and will be pitching the upcoming game at Angels Stadium. D=Desire: If you are looking to be part of this intense series between two of the top teams in the American League, you can find your tickets at: www.losangeles.angels.mlb.com. It all comes down to the last month of the season. On this page there are several links to the next home games, and you can click it and buy your ticket. A=Action: You can find the stadium chart on this website to see the best seats available for upcoming games this month. They range from $10-$75. Getting in the door will be the first phase of enjoying September baseball, the rest is up to you, the fan. |