Charities

Elephants, Rhinos, Lions & Tigers to be extinct within a generation

vetreportSeptember 30, 2013

• World’s most iconic animals to disappear from natural habitats by 2035
• Mass poisoning of elephants & rhinos marks new upsurge in poaching
• Illegal ivory trade linked to funding of terrorist group Al Shabaab
• Charity launches campaign to raise awareness amongst next generation

By the time today’s children are 30, there will be no more elephants, rhinos, tigers or lions roaming in the wild, warns wildlife and conservation charity, Care for the Wild.

With international wildlife under unprecedented threat from poaching, Care for the Wild has today estimated that if poaching continues to grow its current rate, and birth rates remain as predicted, some of the world’s most iconic animals – elephants, rhinos, lions and tigers – will no longer roam in their natural habitat as early as 2035.

“Drawing on our own on-the-ground experience and having studied reports from conservation experts around the world, we’ve concluded that at today’s best estimates, these four children’s picture book favourites  – among many others – will all be extinct in the wild by around 2035. That’s just 22 years. It’s devastating to think that by the time our children are in their thirties, they will have to turn to the television or internet to observe these animals in their natural habitat,” explained Philip Mansbridge, CEO of Care for the Wild.

Supporting Foreign Secretary William Hague’s remarks attributing the problem to terrorism and widespread instability at yesterday’s illegal wildlife trade event in New York, the charity – celebrating its thirtieth birthday next year – warns that wildlife poaching in Africa, and in particular the poaching of elephants and rhinos to fuel the illegal ivory trade, is intrinsically linked to growing poverty, ethnic rivalry, terrorism and civil war in affected countries.

It is estimated that Al Shabaab – the group linked to the recent attack on civilians in Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi – funds 40% of activities through elephant poaching and ivory trade, while recent reports claimed that ‘warlord’ Joseph Kony had ordered the killing of elephants to fund his rebel army, the Lord’s Resistance Army.

As the demand for ivory surges in the rapidly growing economies of China, Vietnam and across Asia, the prices it commands has reached an all time high. With a 10kg tusk is worth almost £10,000, the profitability of such a lucrative trade is attracting some high profile terrorist groups to become involved in order to raise funds for both international and domestic activities, while methods of killing have spread to the reported use of cyanide and military grade weaponry.

Ramping up activities to raise awareness and vital funds for the charity’s work in Africa, Care for the Wild has launched its Tooth Fairy campaign to fight against some devastating statistics.

The charity’s Tooth Fairy campaign encourages children to become a Tooth Fairy Hero by pledging the money they would have received for wobbly teeth to the charity in order to help protect these iconic animals. Last year, an estimated 40,000 elephants were killed in Africa while the number of rhinos killed so far this year – around 700 – has already surpassed last year’s total.

Providing a child friendly online experience – supported by independent children’s shops and cinemas across the country to help spread the word – the campaign is underpinned by the Care for the Wild’s mission against what has become a very sinister illegal practice of killing.

Earlier this year, the United Nations recognised wildlife crime as ‘serious transnational organised crime’, in the same bracket as the drugs trade and gun smuggling, while the UNESCO General Secretariat stated:

“Given the current rate of poaching, children from West or Central Africa will one day speak of elephants and rhinoceros as we speak of mammoths: as magnificent creatures belonging to the past.”

In a bid to save these animals for the next generation, Care for the Wild has launched the awareness Tooth Fairy campaign – focusing on elephants – to alert children and their parents to the fact that a child losing teeth is like an elephant losing its tusks – except that when an elephant loses its tusks, it dies.

“To connect the story and tradition of the Tooth Fairy – a tradition that millions of children in the UK engage with each year – to the plight of elephants seemed a very natural way to reach out to supporters.

“The work of Care for the Wild’s anti-poaching teams is hard, emotional, dangerous and tiring, and we believe that it’s important for children to be made aware of the reality of their crucial work,” explained Mansbridge.

As part of the charity’s work to protect the elephant population, Care for the Wild is involved in many projects across Africa including carrying out anti-poaching patrols supported by armed rangers across notorious poaching hotspots. By recruiting team members from local tribesmen – including those from the colourful Maasai tribe – Care for the Wild encourages support from local people, strengthening the effectiveness and legacy of the charity’s work.

“Whether children go online with parents to pledge their donations, engage with us on Twitter or Facebook, or pick up one of the little Tooth Fairy bags that are being very kindly handed out across the UK at various locations, we hope that they enjoy the experience, connect with the work that we do, and begin to feel part of – and feel strongly about – the fight against elephant poaching and the illegal trade in ivory,” concluded Mansbridge.

To find out more about Care for the Wild’s Tooth Fairy campaign please visit the website and keep up to date with the campaign here, and on the charity’s Twitter feed @careforthewild and its Facebook page.