On Nov. 19, I will be in NYC joining thousands of people to run out our election year stresses and commit to making the world a better place. The Run for Elephants will be taking place to raise awareness about the plight of African elephants whose numbers have been decimated.
The Great Elephant Census of 2016 shows that savannah elephant populations have dropped by one third in only seven short years mainly due to killings for ivory tusks. Just over 300,000 now remain on earth. To add insult to injury, a recent international meeting on the conservation of endangered species refused to grant these African elephants the utmost protection that can be afforded.
Our government, represented by the Fish and Wildlife Services, was one of the countries that voted against such protection, partnering with Russia, China, Brazil, Japan and the EU. The work to protect savannah elephants has been made that much harder and with one elephant lost every 15 minutes the work is critical.
This is where the Hope comes in!
The Run for Elephants benefits, supports and celebrates a unique organization that rescues and rehabilitates orphaned elephants and then places them back into the wild. This program has been so successful that released elephants have joined wild herds are now birthing wild calves of their own! Please find the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust online and see if their work does not melt your heart. Their dedication to reintegration and elephant conservation is astounding. If you are so moved, join the Run for Elephants and feel good about the difference you can make. And “adopting” an elephant makes a wonderful gift for anyone but pair it with a stuffed elephant and an informative book and you just might spark the curiosity and the heart of a naturalist in the making.
Elizabeth Volkmann
Northampton