Help Save Wildlife By 2025 as many as one fifth of all animal species may be lost, gone forever. Extinction is forever. We must act now. Time is running out. I am deeply disturbed at the news that Zimbabwe plans to sell elephants and other wildlife. I strongly oppose this plan and implore you to cancel the sale. Centuries ago, the African elephant enjoyed huge numbers among the teeming herds of wildlife that roamed the African continent. Today, their survival dangles on the edge of extinction due to unchecked human population growth, overdevelopment, poaching and now with the breakup of herds for export. Once numbering in the millions, the continent-wide population in Africa is now estimated to be just under 600,000 elephants. Classified as endangered under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals, the most significant reason for their decline can be traced back to the 1800s before the modern ivory trade began to take root. Nearly 200 years and millions of carcasses later, the future of the African elephant is in serious question. Why are we adding to their decline by sending them away from our continent, they belong to our children right here in Africa. Baby elephants are born after an average of 22 months of gestation. They will normally stand within their first hour of life, and they nurse immediately from their mothers. The vital nutrients which can only be found in her milk help the development of the calfs immune system. Mothers and calves are rarely separated, and spend most of their time touching or in close physical contact. The other females in the herd often help raise the young elephant and can often be seen closing in around him to form an elephant shield if danger is present. The cousins, aunts, and sisters become the calfs guardians and form a family unit with impenetrable loyalty and devotion. Elephants have only one predator: humans. With all that we know about elephants and their strong social bonds, it is completely unacceptable to subject young calves to the trauma of being separated from their mothers and families. Should these calves even survive their ordeal and long trip, they face a lifetime of confinement in zoo conditions that are gravely detrimental to their health and welfare. Recent science shows that elephants in zoos suffer from a multitude of captivity-caused diseases and conditions that cut their lives short; the average life span of African elephants in zoos is decades shorter than in the wild. People around the globe care deeply about elephants and will be closely watching this situation. Please show the world that Zimbabwe cares about preserving and protecting its wildlife by putting a halt to the export of these baby elephants and other wildlife taken from their natural habitats. Why is Zimbabwe stealing from the future generation’s natural resources? The baby elephants quite likely won’t survive the trip and the only crime they have committed is being born in Zimbabwe. They are now being sentenced to a life of inhuman treatment. This is very traumatic, not only for the baby elephants but also for their families. Elephants don’t forget and this is very dangerous for future visitors to Hwange.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 06:39:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015