Killing elephants for their ivory has devastating effects, not only for individual animals, but for elephant society as a whole, its habitats and its environment. The ivory trade also threatens the lives of rangers, fosters corruption and negatively affects the economic, ethical and security aspects of communities affected by organized illicit trade fueled by consumer demand. With your support, IFAW has been campaigning for a decade for restrictions on ivory trade in the UK and the EU. Our latest report on cybercrime in wildlife in the United States revealed a surprisingly high proportion of elephant ivory still in online commerce, with unscrupulous traders exploiting loopholes and using code words, blurry photos, and dubious claims of legality. The draft EU guide indicates a possible ban on the re-export of raw ivory until 1 July 2017 to ensure illegal tusks are not washed with legal tusks Robert Bateman, renowned Canadian artist and conservationist, said: “The survival of African elephants depends on the actions of the global community, and progressive nations such as Canada have a responsibility to: act accordingly. I join countless Canadians in calling on the Canadian government to act now and ban the trade in elephant ivory. I commend the government for launching a public consultation and encourage all Canadians involved to seize this extremely important opportunity to speak. In addition, under the proposed legislation, individuals attempting to keep wild animals in captivity would also be greeted with legal hurdles. Canada, along with Japan, Namibia and South Africa, refused to do so.

Unlike China, once the largest single market for the purchase and sale of legal and illegal ivory, Canada continues to sanction a domestic market for elephant ivory. “Animal Justice is particularly pleased that the bill offers animals with limited legal status in court – a revolutionary step to ensure that our legal system puts their welfare first,” said the organization`s executive director, Camille Labchuk. Elephants are very intelligent. During dry periods, the oldest members of the herd remember the location of the water points they had visited years earlier. They form strong social bonds and have emotions similar to us. When danger threatens, adults surround mothers and calves protectively and are ready to charge. They also take care of the adults in the herd: a researcher observed three male elephants trying to revive a dying matriarch by lifting her body with her tusks as they tried in vain to get her back on her feet. By participating in this consultation, you can help save elephants by calling on Canada to ban the trade in elephant ivory and fight poaching. It`s the right thing to do: for elephants, for biodiversity and for the planet.

Canada also allows the importation of elephant trophies. Between 2007 and 2016, Canada authorized the legal importation of more than 400 elephant skulls and 260 feet of elephants under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which tracks the movement of animals and parts of animals. IFAW is working to end the slaughter of elephants for their ivory by intervening at all levels of the retail chain. We are working with local communities and rangers to stop poaching at the source. We provide training, mentoring and infrastructure to wildlife authorities. We train customs brokers in transit countries and work to reduce the demand for elephant ivory and design elephant protection policy and legislation to end wildlife crime. Michael Bernard, Deputy Director of Humane Society International/Canada, said: “Canada is at a crossroads and the steps we are taking now to protect African elephants will be remembered for generations to come. In keeping with its commitments to preserve global biodiversity and end human-induced extinction, the Canadian government has launched a crucial public consultation. We urge all Canadians to get involved and make it clear that only a robust national ban on the elephant ivory trade can truly help us end the senseless killing of African elephants. 25,000 forest elephants have poached in Gabon`s Minkébé National Park over the past ten years (80% decrease). 144,000 savannah elephants have poached across Africa in the last 7 years (down 30%). The price of raw (unprocessed) ivory in China peaks at $2,100 per kilogram Since the bill banned the import of elephant ivory and rhino horn, Goodall said the bill would help end the illegal wildlife trade.

It would also create a new distinction for accredited “animal care organizations” such as aquariums, zoos and sanctuaries that could continue to care for wildlife. All other organizations should apply for a permit to breed wild animals or acquire new ones. “I have to praise the Granby Zoo,” Klyne said of her plans to move her elephants. “There`s no better time than now.” African elephants are more than majestic. These are key species that play a crucial role in their environment, and their future is far from certain. Today, there are between 400,000 and 500,000 elephants in Africa; a 70% decrease since the 1970s, mainly due to poaching. On average, scientists estimate that between 10,000 and 20,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory. Fortunately, there is now a growing recognition around the world that the legal ivory trade stimulates demand and provides a cover for illegal ivory laundering. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Thailand have recently introduced increased trade controls on elephant ivory, and the legal ivory market has been closed in China, Singapore, Vietnam and Myanmar, with the ivory market in Hong Kong set to close later in 2021. He said the zoo`s three African elephants — females Thandi and Sarah and male Tutum — will move, though the destination and timing have not yet been determined.

Although I couldn`t be there often, I got to know a number of elephants one by one. There was Fred, a young man. He was a real show-off and hunted almost everything – antelopes, warthogs, herons – trumpeted violently, his ears apart. I even saw him attack a butterfly. A number of zoos that would be exempt from the captivity ban support Bill S-241, including the Granby Zoo, the Calgary Zoo and the Toronto Zoo. The first, a Quebec zoo, has announced plans to let its captive elephants run out over the next few years. Tessa Vanderkop, Vice President of Elephanatics, said: “Tens of thousands of African elephants are killed every year to meet the global demand for elephant ivory. The international community is taking action and more than 620,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Canadian government to urgently ban the trade in elephant ivory.

We encourage all Canadians to participate in the consultation and make their voices heard in support of African elephants. Labchuk continued, “The bill would also give animals a limited legal status for animals in some court cases. If this precedent is adopted, Canada will become a world leader in ensuring that courts are able to consider the best interests of individual animals. In 1930, up to 10 million elephants lived on the continent. Today, there are only about 400,000. Baz Ratner/Reuters But Canada — along with Japan, Namibia and South Africa — continues to sanction a domestic market for elephant ivory. Although trade volume is considered low, ivory continues to be traded online across Canada, in auction houses and in markets, providing a cover for the illegal ivory trade. As a politician, Ottawa banned the sale of ivory from elephants killed after 1990. But because ivory remains extremely difficult to this day, illegally harvested supplies enter the Canadian market with little or no difficulty. (Canada also expressed concern that a ban on elephant ivory could impact the well-regulated Inuit trade in narwhals and legs of processed walrus elves, although no evidence has been provided to support this claim.) Currently, an estimated 20,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory. At this speed, they are annihilated from nature during our lifetime. Senator Marty Klyne reintroduced Bill S-241, also known as the Jane Goodall Act, in the Senate on March 22.

If passed, the law would ban the re-captivity of a number of wild animals, including bears, wolves and big cats. This would effectively end the use of exotic animals in roadside zoos and give wildlife some legal protection in court. It would also gradually eliminate elephant captivity throughout the country. Canada also legally allows the importation of elephant trophies. Between 2007 and 2016, Canada authorized the importation of 83 trophy elephants, 434 elephant skulls and 260 elephant feet. The Granby Zoo, the only accredited zoo in Canada that keeps elephants, plans to stop keeping animals in captivity. Paul Gosselin, CEO of the Granby Zoo, has been considering retiring from the elephant trade in recent years. Hunting causes terrible suffering to thousands of individual elephants. In addition, the profits from poaching finance criminal cartels, destabilize communities and fuel corruption.

Rangers, who are on the front lines of protecting all wildlife, are also paying a high price: in 2018, at least 63 African game wardens died in the line of duty, often leaving their families without support. And a number of people working to bring the ivory barons to justice have been brutally murdered. My fascination and love for elephants began when I first met a herd. I was walking in the woods at the edge of Ngorongoro Crater and was able to spend time with these large creatures in Ruaha National Park in Tanzania. I was there with my late husband, Derek Bryceson, who was the Superintendent of Tanzania`s National Parks at the time.