Happy Friday!
To celebrate the imminent arrival of the weekend here is a heart warming short video of a small child chasing birds around a park and falling flat on their face.
Oh, and did I mention its an elephant?!
Taking a tumble
OK - and here's another little treat. This is a short film from Elephant Nature Park, the sanctuary I have volunteered at in Thailand. They recently rescued an orphaned baby elephant called Dok Geaw. His mum died when he was just four months old. She had been injured giving birth but was still forced to work in the logging industry immediately afterwards. Elephant Nature Park is a sanctuary for former-captive working elephants.
This is the moment the ENP herd heard his cries and came to meet him for the first time and welcome him to his new home.
Best watched with the sound up full to hear those trumpets and rumbles in all their glory.
Dok Geaw
Have a lovely weekend!
Friday 23 June 2017
Sunday 11 June 2017
Warning - mildly political post!
Well what a week it's been for British politics. From Brexit to social care, education to nuclear weapons - it seems everything has been discussed and debated in great length - everything except elephants.
If you haven't been keeping up with the rollercoaster that has been British politics lately you may not be aware that elephants have been a victim of this election.
The Conservative government pledged in its 2010 and 2015 manifesto's to bring about the complete closure of the UK's domestic ivory market. To date they have failed to honour this pledge, despite the crisis facing Africa's elephants being debated in parliament twice within two months, the later just being in February 2017.
Since the Conservative government's first pledge in 2010 - 200,000 elephants have been killed for their ivory. Despite this figure, and the ongoing pressure on the government to honour their pledge and ban the UK Ivory trade - the Conservatives actually removed it altogether from their 2017 manifesto.
The UK is the largest exporter of ivory in the EU, so as well as allowing the ivory trade to thrive in the UK, we play a major role in feeding demand for ivory. This makes the UK a complicit player in the ongoing poaching that is driving elephants to extinction in the wild.
Despite its commitment to support African countries in their efforts to end poaching, and with 85% of the British population wanting a total ban, the government is instead prioritising the interests of a tiny number of British antique dealers. These dealers are the obstacle to a full ban and are lobbying for the sale of antique (defined as pre-1947) ivory to continue.
It's hard to believe that our government has made a conscious decision to remove this pledge from their manifesto and to allow the brutal killing to continue. Although it does start to become clearer once you know that wealthy antiques dealer, Lady (Victoria) Borwick, the Tory candidate for Kensington and the president of the British Antique Dealer's Association, is a friend of Theresa May's.
There was a very small glimmer of hope when Lady Borwick lost her seat in the recent election, meaning she won't be in parliament to influence any future vote on the UK ivory trade (if that ever happens!) although I'm sure she will stay close to Theresa May and do her best to ensure her earnings and a few pointless ornaments are perceived as more important than the future of this beautiful species.
If you love elephants and want to see the UK following the US and China in introducing a complete ban on the UK Ivory trade please please please keep campaigning and keep the pressure on your local MP - especially if they are Conservative - to ensure this important issue is not forgotten. It needs to be re-added to the agenda - NOW!
One elephant is killed every 15 minutes for its ivory, with more being shot for fun by big game hunters. In the time it has taken you to read this post another elephant has been killed, another baby has been orphaned and another payment been made to the very people who have the ability to put a stop to this madness.
If you haven't been keeping up with the rollercoaster that has been British politics lately you may not be aware that elephants have been a victim of this election.
The Conservative government pledged in its 2010 and 2015 manifesto's to bring about the complete closure of the UK's domestic ivory market. To date they have failed to honour this pledge, despite the crisis facing Africa's elephants being debated in parliament twice within two months, the later just being in February 2017.
Since the Conservative government's first pledge in 2010 - 200,000 elephants have been killed for their ivory. Despite this figure, and the ongoing pressure on the government to honour their pledge and ban the UK Ivory trade - the Conservatives actually removed it altogether from their 2017 manifesto.
The UK is the largest exporter of ivory in the EU, so as well as allowing the ivory trade to thrive in the UK, we play a major role in feeding demand for ivory. This makes the UK a complicit player in the ongoing poaching that is driving elephants to extinction in the wild.
Despite its commitment to support African countries in their efforts to end poaching, and with 85% of the British population wanting a total ban, the government is instead prioritising the interests of a tiny number of British antique dealers. These dealers are the obstacle to a full ban and are lobbying for the sale of antique (defined as pre-1947) ivory to continue.
It's hard to believe that our government has made a conscious decision to remove this pledge from their manifesto and to allow the brutal killing to continue. Although it does start to become clearer once you know that wealthy antiques dealer, Lady (Victoria) Borwick, the Tory candidate for Kensington and the president of the British Antique Dealer's Association, is a friend of Theresa May's.
There was a very small glimmer of hope when Lady Borwick lost her seat in the recent election, meaning she won't be in parliament to influence any future vote on the UK ivory trade (if that ever happens!) although I'm sure she will stay close to Theresa May and do her best to ensure her earnings and a few pointless ornaments are perceived as more important than the future of this beautiful species.
If you love elephants and want to see the UK following the US and China in introducing a complete ban on the UK Ivory trade please please please keep campaigning and keep the pressure on your local MP - especially if they are Conservative - to ensure this important issue is not forgotten. It needs to be re-added to the agenda - NOW!
One elephant is killed every 15 minutes for its ivory, with more being shot for fun by big game hunters. In the time it has taken you to read this post another elephant has been killed, another baby has been orphaned and another payment been made to the very people who have the ability to put a stop to this madness.
Sunday 4 June 2017
African Parks brings new park under management
Great news! African Parks and the Presidency of the Republic of Benin have signed a long-term agreement to manage Pendjari National Park in Benin. The park is part of the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) complex which spans Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, and is the largest remaining intact natural ecosystem in the whole of West Africa. With an area of 4,800 km2, Pendjari is home to iconic species including elephant, cheetah, lion, buffalo, antelope and a host of other wildlife.
This critical landscape, however, faces several threats, including poaching and human pressure on natural resources. To counter this and rehabilitate the park, the Presidency of the Republic of Benin has entered into this long-term partnership with African Parks as one of its 45 flagship projects under its investment programme referred to as “Revealing Benin”. Funding is being provided by the Government of Benin along with several other donors who are contributing initial start-up funds, including the Wyss Foundation who made a significant multi-year challenge grant to African Parks specifically to bring new parks under management.
"Pendjari National Park is an exceptional reserve, which requires us to act quickly to protect and revitalise it. Through this partnership, we intend to reveal its full potential” said José Pliya, Director of the National Agency for the Heritage and Tourism of Benin, in charge of the implementation of the project for the Presidency of the Republic.
The 10-year action plan includes securing the park through effective law enforcement and ranger recruitment and training; conserving and monitoring key wildlife species; developing and managing sustainable tourism; and working with local communities. Overall goals of the partnership include doubling wildlife populations, increasing tourism by 50%, and creating as many as 400 new jobs over the course of the agreement.
“Pendjari along with the WAP complex is arguably the most important wildlife area remaining in all of West Africa” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks. “It’s a critical and progressive moment for conservation and the entire region; and we are honoured to enter into this partnership with the Government of Benin, to manage this extraordinary landscape for the benefit of both wildlife and the people of Benin”.
The addition of Pendjari National Park brings the total number of parks under management by African Parks to 11, covering six and a half million hectares, which is the largest amount of area under conservation for any one NGO in Africa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)