News
April 2010:
For the
Chipembele Wildlife Education
Trust funding is being
sought for laptop computers (second hand or
refurbished), binoculars, general stationery and
the printing of educational materials directly
relevant to the programme.
With the support of educational materials and through the teaching of the use of computers this capacity building programme will encourage and inspire the students who live in such an important wildlife area to protect it for the future.
CITES has decided to keep ivory where it belongs: on the elephant.
For some species,
including elephants, the meeting was a success!
For others, including tuna, sharks and polar
bears, the outcome was extremely disappointing.
Proposals by Tanzania and Zambia to reduce CITES
protection for their elephants and allow trade
in more than 110,000 kg of ivory to China and
Japan were rejected by CITES. This is a great
achievement for the 23 African countries that
form the African Elephant Coalition, as well as
for all organisations which battled so
tirelessly for this success; not to mention the
500,000 people from around the world who signed
petitions in opposition to the proposals.
Thanks to all of you supporting!
However, we must not become complacent about the challenges ahead. Elephant poaching and ivory smuggling remain serious problems and WAGI is seeking funding to support the protection of the vulnerable elephant populations at Thuma Forest Reserve in Malawi – find out more here.
February
2010:
It is estimated that game
ranches in Zimbabwe have lost between 80% and 90% of
wildlife to poachers. Some game ranchers have
reported that they do not have a single animal
left.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force was formed in April 2001 by a group of Zimbabweans, who were desperately concerned about the unacceptable levels of poaching as well as the destruction of the environment in Zimbabwe.
Read here about ZIMBABWE'S WILDLIFE TRAGEDY: http://www.zctf.mweb.co.zw/index.html
January 2010: Elephants, essential components of Africa's ecosystems, are still under threat from ivory poaching. At Thuma Forest Reserve, Malawi, another poached elephant was found on the 18. January by the WAG Malawi scout team.
Therefore this year's CITES debate is particularly fraught. On the table at the conference is a request from Zambia and Tanzania allowing them to trade in their stockpiled ivory.
Please sign and distribute petitions in opposition to the ivory sale, like this petition from Dame Daphne Sheldrick to the CITES Conference in March 2010:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-more-trade-in-elephant-ivory
"This year the Vote of the
Signatories to the CITES convention will seal the fate of
Africa's elephants one way or another, and because of this
all caring people have a duty to speak our forcefully, or
else become guilty of sinning through silence."
Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick DBE MBE MBD DVMS
Join us and become a supporter or member of the
WILDLIFE ACTION GROUP INTERNATIONAL
