Elephants in the Masai Mara (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
Meeting an elephant orphan in Kenya (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
This week in Zimbabwe, poachers killed at least 80 elephants by pouring cyanide into their water holes. The cyanide has also killed a number of smaller animals drinking from the same poisoned water–not to mention the vultures feasting on their remains.
Back home in New York, I have a friend who is just crazy about elephants–can’t stop talking about them, and even set up an educational program in Southeast Asia to raise awareness about their endangerment. But it wasn’t until I went to Kenya and Tanzania and saw for myself hundreds of these massive and majestic creatures lumbering through the grasslands of the Serengeti and Amboseli, that I understood what all the fuss was about–and transformed into a crazy elephant lady myself.
Watching the matriarchs nurse their newborns, and spunky adolescents tussle with their tusks, the plight of these animals in grave danger was no longer an abstraction. A few of the elephants walked right up to our van to peer inside, and I found myself staring eye to eye out with creatures that could kill me in an instant–but didn’t. To watch these enormous yet graceful animals stroll and graze with their tight-knit families–and meet baby elephants orphaned by poachers–it was sickening to think of how many of them have been slaughtered in the name of profit–and I finally understood just how urgent and important it is to try and save them…
While this issue may seem a world away for many, it’s important to recognize that wildlife trafficking is now considered a national security threat–since illegal wildlife trafficking is a major source of funding for terrorist groups, including Al-Shabaab–the al-Qaeda-backed Somali terror group responsible for Saturday’s attack in the Nairobi mall. Our elefriends can’t save themselves from the powers of ruthless greed and heartless destruction. They need our help now, before it’s too late–and they all disappear…
We got your back... (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
