Africa
National Geographic: In Hong Kong, Kids Take Action to Stop the Illegal Ivory Trade
Schoolchildren are working together to raise awareness of the toll of the illegal ivory trade. Photograph by Katrina Shute Laurel Neme for National Geographic Published April 24, 2014 Part of our weekly “In Focus” series—stepping back, looking closer. Hong Kong schoolchildren are transforming attitudes about elephant ivory through small actions that are having…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Elephant Foster Mom: A Conversation with Daphne Sheldrick
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on December 6, 2013 Orphaned elephants “can be fine one day and dead the next,” says Daphne Sheldrick, a Kenyan conservationist and expert in animal husbandry. She knows. To date, she has fostered over 250 calves, first in partnership with her husband, David Sheldrick, founding warden…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Al Shabaab and the Human Toll of the Illegal Ivory Trade
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on October 3, 2013 By Laurel Neme, Andrea Crosta, and Nir Kalron As the bloody stain from Al Shabaab’s attack in Nairobi spreads, we grieve not only for those who died or were injured, and their families and friends, but also for the many innocents…
Read MoreNational Geographic: A Powerful Weapon Against Ivory Smugglers: DNA Testing
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on May 23, 2013 Hong Kong Customs seized 113 ivory tusks in a cargo shipment at Hong Kong International Airport on April 30 this year. Officers detected the ivory when they X-rayed a consignment labeled “spare parts” being shipped from Burundi, Africa to Singapore via Hong Kong. DNA analysis…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Chaos and Confusion Following Elephant Poaching in a Central African World Heritage Site
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on May 13, 2013 As poachers fired on forest elephants inside the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, a World Heritage Site in the Central African Republic (CAR), the impotence of foreign governments and non-governmental organizations in preventing the slaughter of wildlife amid political chaos was, once again, revealed. Earlier this week, the World…
Read MoreFilming of Mad Max sequel wreaks havoc on Namibia’s desert ecosystem
The Namib desert is a remarkable but fragile ecosystem, containing many endemic species. One of these is the desert plant Welwitschia mirabilis, one of the longest lived organisms on the planet,with a lifespan of 500 to 1500 years. In 2012, areas of the Dorob and Namib Naukluft National Parks were utilized as…
Read MoreNational Geographic: New Promises Follow Elephant Slaughter in Chad and Cameroon
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on March 27, 2013 In the aftermath of the largest elephant poaching episode thus far in 2013, Central African governments met to coordinate and adopt an emergency plan to combat the killings. But is it too little, too late? On March 14-15, at…
Read MoreNational Geographic: A Young Voice for Elephants: Celia Ho
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on February 21, 2013 “I take every chance to share my campaign and the difficulties elephants are facing,” says Celia Ho, a 14-year-old student from Hong Kong who launched a campaign to stop ivory consumption after reading Bryan Christy’s “Blood Ivory” article in National Geographic. Her young voice represents a…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Poachers Capitalize on Chaos in Central Africa
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on February 5, 2013 Poachers are capitalizing on the disarray in the Central African Republic (CAR) and appear to be moving freely in a search of elephants. Late last year several columns of Sudanese poachers, up to 200 well-armed men, were spotted traveling across northern CAR toward…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Elephants in Cameroon and Chad face Imminent Threat
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on December 5, 2012 Gangs of heavily armed elephant poachers have crossed the Central African Republic (CAR) from Sudan and are reported to be close to the southern Chad and northern Cameroon borders. Several columns of Sudanese poachers, comprising between 150 to 200 men riding on…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Elephant Poachers Caught in Chad, Protection Efforts Stepped Up
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on October 5, 2012 In late July and early August in the Mayo Lemie and Chari Baguirmi regions of southwestern Chad, poachers slaughtered 63 elephants. The government launched a massive land and aerial search with 200 soldiers to track down the perpetrators. After several skirmishes,…
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