Africa
National Geographic: Speaking up for Elephants: Reflections on Vermont’s Ivory Sales Ban Hearing
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on April 17, 2015 “In a world where everything feels like it is moving at the speed of light, slowing down and watching an elephant in its natural habitat is calming and shows us the importance of paying attention to the natural world.” That opinion…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Citizens Spur States to Ban Trade in Ivory and Rhino Horn
From Vermont to California, grassroots efforts drive state actions to protect elephants and rhinos. By Laurel Neme, for National Geographic PUBLISHED April 06, 2015 SHELBURNE, Vermont—”When you think things need to change, you have the power to make it happen,” Ashley McAvey, homegrown elephant activist and mother of two, told students recently at Endeavour…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Ethiopia Burns Entire 6.1-Ton Ivory Stockpile
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on March 20, 2015 ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – At a ceremony today in the capital, Ethiopia burned its entire 6.1-ton ivory stockpile. The event was held at the Gulele Botanical Garden, close to the headquarters of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), where the ivory had been stored.…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Will Mobilization of Military Forces Stop Elephant Poaching in Cameroon
Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on February 14, 2015 Ten elephant carcasses discovered in mid-January in and around Cameroon’s Bouba Ndjida National Park are raising fears that poachers may again be targeting the park. But information remains sketchy. According to the Cameroon Tribune, a government newspaper, the military made several patrols following reports of gunfire…
Read MoreNational Geographic: U.S. Indictment Accuses South African Brothers of Trafficking Rhino Horns
Safari outfitters allegedly duped hunters into paying extra to illegally shoot rhinos. Laurel Neme for National Geographic Published October 23, 2014 U.S. authorities today announced the indictment of the alleged kingpin of a South African rhino poaching and trafficking syndicate, Dawie Groenewald, and his brother, Janneman, and their company Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris on multiple charges,…
Read MoreNational Geographic: For Rangers on the Front Lines of Anti-Poaching Wars, Daily Trauma
Both wildlife rangers and rare species are victims of the relentless onslaught from the illegal wildlife trade. Unsung heroes face daunting challenges. By Laurel Neme for National Geographic Published June 27, 2014 In May 2008 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 80 Mai Mai militia ambushed a unit of 12 wildlife rangers on…
Read MoreNational 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…
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