Hello,
Africa's wildlife is in dire need. From elephants being poached for their tusks for sale and use as ivory, to rhinos being poached for their horns to be sold and used as Chinese "medicine", to lions facing habitat loss and retaliation killing from farmers who lose farm animals to them, many of Africa's native and beloved species of wild animals could become extinct very soon if more action is not taken to save them.
The governments in Africa may say and think they have better, more important things to do, but these animals are extremely important, as individuals and as species, for the roles they play in African ecosystems, as well as the tourism money that they bring in through tourists paying and going on safaris to see and photograph these beautiful, unique and amazing animals.
Elephants are beautiful, majestic and huge creatures who have roamed the land for millions of years, raising young, bathing themselves ritualistically, grieving over their dead and contributing to African ecosystems. Yet, according to the Affinity Magazine website, 96 of these beloved animals are killed every day for their ivory, robbed of their magnificent tusks, with the rest of their bodies being left to rot. This comes to 35,000 of these wonderful animals being killed each year.
Lions are iconic to Africa, having been admired and loved for many, many years. They are a part of African culture. They have been called the "King of Beasts" and featured in beloved movies, such as "The Lion King" and "Born Free". Despite all of this, they, too, are at risk of dying out due to unsustainable trophy hunting, poaching for their parts, loss of natural habitat and prey, conflict with humans, disease and climate change and inbreeding depression. Why, oh why, must these magnificent, much-loved and beautiful animals continue to die unnecessarily?
Giraffes, too, are being poached for skin and parts and meat. These beautiful animals have roamed the African continent for millions of years, yet, now, because of greedy, careless human beings, they are in urgent need and facing extinction.
WHY must beautiful animals die and be pushed closer to extinction because of horrible humans? Think of the thylacine, the dodo, the woolly mammoths, the warrah, the quagga, the sea cow, the passenger pigeon, the heath hen and the many other important and wonderful creatures who had just as much right to live as we do that have been pushed to extinction by humans! We CANNOT let the same fate happen to ANY more animals!!!!!!!
Please, please, please give more funds to education and conservation to help save African wildlife NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S Not all poachers are necessarily all bad as people. Some of them are just impoverished individuals seeking to support themselves and their families. We need to tackle poaching humanely, arresting those who poach animals unnecessarily and educating and providing alternative, nonviolent employment...
Thank you.
