New report into saving our elephants

A new report estimates that poachers killed 20,000 African elephants in 2013. The world is now losing more elephants than the population can reproduce.

The report was issued by The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Leigh Henry, senior policy advisor of wildlife conservation and advocacy for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, says the reasons for increased poaching are simple: the profits to be made from illegal ivory trade are high — and the risks are minimal.
Back in the 1980s, countries around the world cracked down on poaching and the illegal ivory trade. Now, the value of ivory has gone up dramatically and with it the pace of illegal poaching and ivory trafficking.
“The consumer markets, like China and Thailand, have more disposable income and more wealth than they did back in the 1980s, and higher prices are now being sought for ivory products,” Henry explains. “So now we’re seeing international criminal gangs coming in and poaching.”
These groups have resources like helicopters and night vision goggles; they have veterinary tranquilizers to put down the animals, which is easier than using bullets; and they have access to trafficking networks that also deal in drugs, arms and other commodities. What’s more, Henry says, they know how to shift trafficking routes when needed.

“When enforcement is increased in one port, they simply shift to another port,” Henry says. “So it's a really difficult nut to crack.”

Pilot Campaigns

With the support of the global advertising agency Grey Group, the Breaking the Brand project team has created a pilot campaign targeting the primary users of rhino horn in Viet Nam. The series of 5 adverts has been designed to test the 2 motivations to stop using rhino horn:

1. A perceived negative impact on the health of the user
2. A perceived negative impact on the status of the user (in the eyes of his peers)

And to also test if there is any level of empathy with the animal.

The reason why users should be worried about their health is that more and more rhino horns are being injected with toxins such as organophosphates while on the live animal. If a person ingests this toxin they will become sick with nausea and diarrhoea. These toxins can also have long-term effects on the central nervous system; and on brain development and cognitive function. For more information about how rhino horn is poisoned.

Killed for Useless Detox Drinks and Needless Business Gifts

An unborn rhino foetus removed from its dead and dehorned mother. In this poaching incident a wildlife ranger was also killed. It is not good enough for Vietnamese businessmen to try to disassociate themselves from this killing spree by saying “We don’t do the poaching, we only buy the horn”.

This destruction is carried out to fulfil their personal desire for status, bestowed through their ability to obtain a rare, expensive product – genuine rhino horn. It is common for the wealthy to feel the need to demonstrate their worth by the luxury goods they own, but there is a difference between buying Rolex watches and obtaining illegal wildlife products. The need to demonstrate status goes too far when it results in wiping out an iconic animal and in less than one generation. Just how anxious can these users of rhino horn be for the acceptance of their peers to shut out the devastating consequences of their actions?

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