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When is an elephant like a fish?

Category: Born Free | Date: Jul 16 2008 | By: bornfree

Dear Friends  

I was wondering about this today… why?

Well let’s imagine that the EU - including the UK - recognised that an increasingly rare fish species - found only in EU waters - was subject to high levels of illegal trade. Let’s imagine too that the EU felt that the best way to protect this species was to prevent all further trade. It might be anticipated that other countries, such as all the African countries (none of which had this fish species) would support the EU in its effort to prevent the fish from becoming extinct. That’s what you’d do right? Support the EU in its effort to prevent further decline. It’s polite, respectful and appropriate.

Now imagine that those same African countries decided that they did not want any further trade in ivory to be legalised. That they wanted their elephants to benefit from maximum protection and that to do so, trade in ivory with a fabulously wealthy state known to be a major illegal ivory trade destination would have to be shelved. Wouldn’t you expect the EU to show respect and support Africa in their endeavours?

WRONG

The EU has no elephants but continually acts as if it does and consistently ignores the views of the many (majority) of African elephant Range States who want no more trade. Why? I don’t know. With power comes responsibility and, frankly, that’s in very short supply here in Geneva.

Oh, and by the way, after yesterday’s high-risk vote approving the inclusion of China as an ivory stockpile trader, two female Chinese nationals were intercepted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, caught in the act of smuggling nearly 40 pieces of ivory out of the country.

It’s endless and it’s going to get worse - and the CITES Standing Committee has just, in my view, made things a whole lot worse.

Blogging off

Will

Please visit http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/elephants/ for more information on the work Born Free undertakes with elephants

3 Responses to “When is an elephant like a fish?”

sheryl, washington dc, on 16 Jul 2008

I agree with you, Will, 100 percent. The EU confuses me utterly with this decision because we’re counting on them in November to ban the import and sale of harp seal furs and products. This could shut down the annual harp seal slaughter in Canada. On the one hand, they’re progressive, and on the other they appear to be careless idiots.

s.

TheTeach, Seattle, on 17 Jul 2008

As a history teacher, I see startling parallels, in the present peril of the elephant, to what happened to the North American bison (buffalo) some one-hundred years ago. We’ve been here before. We’ve seen what can happen if the killing goes unchecked, and it will go unchecked unless a lot of caring people, government institutions, and some large financial support gets behind the various conservation groups (Wildlifedirect,WWF,WCS,IFAW etc.). The only thing that really stopped the killing of buffalo was the inability of the hunters to find any more. Then laws were passed to protect the survivors. Other casualties of rampant slaughter for the commercial trade: Caribbean monk seals extinct, many whale species hanging on the brink, and of course, the ongoing battle to save the rhinos; some of which have even been slaughtered by poachers while in protective breeding ranches. I don’t think the message is getting out there to the public as to the direness of the crisis. In the U.S. I’ve seen one program on the networks in the last year about ivory poaching. That was on “60 Minutes.” Thanks to Anderson Cooper and his program, CNN now has a special weekly feature on environmental issues. BBC is right on top of these issues as well. It seems more coverage is needed, though. The news media need to follow the stories regularly with updates. That pulls people in and keeps them engaged. When something isn’t reported, people assume there is no problem and everything is fine, or they are completely unaware that such a problem even exists, because they have never heard anything about it. We have it tough trying to get media coverage right now. These animals must compete for airtime against faltering banks, high gas & food prices, a major political election, two catastrophic wars, genocide in Sudan,terrorism, natural disasters, China’s Olympics, and the planet’s number one environmental crisis, climate change. Somehow, we have to keep gorillas, elephants, and every other precariously teetering species on the public radar. Best Wishes

TheTeach, Seattle, on 17 Jul 2008

Oh, and, of course, I meant to include “Born Free” in my conservation group listing above, during my tirade. I’m reading up on your work with elephants right now. :)
Best Wishes

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