National Geographic: How World’s Largest Legal Ivory Market Fuels Demand for Illegal Ivory

New report shows that limited oversight of Hong Kong’s ivory traders allows laundering of illegal ivory through legal markets.   By Laurel Neme, for National Geographic PUBLISHED October 22, 2015   A new report by WildAid, an international nongovernmental organization that aims to eliminate illegal wildlife trade, together with undercover video by independent investigators provided to WildAid and WWF-Hong Kong,…

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National Geographic: Ripple Effect: Saving Elephants One Kid at a Time

      Children’s voices can be extremely powerful—a fact readily apparent on a recent Sunday when more than 325 people—most of them children—participated in Vermont’s first kid-driven Global March for Elephants and Rhinos. The event was initiated by 12-year-old Taegen Yardley, who organized a network of youngsters from across the state. Student “champions” at more than…

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National Geographic: East African Smugglers Push Ivory Out of the Continent

Posted by Laurel Neme in A Voice for Elephants on September 18, 2015   Elephant poaching and ivory trafficking in East Africa is driven not only by foreign consumers but also by African nationals who actively “push” ivory to these markets. A recent report, Pushing Ivory Out of Africa: A Criminal Intelligence of Elephant Poaching and Ivory Trafficking in East Africa,…

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National Geographic: Elephant Killings in Chad’s Signature Park Cause Alarm

    After three years of zero poaching in Zakouma National Park, killing of two female elephants shows no population is safe. By Laurel Neme, for National Geographic PUBLISHED September 01, 2015 A routine aerial surveillance flight over the western part of Chad’s Zakouma National Park has uncovered the deaths of two female elephants and their calves…

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National 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…

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National 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.…

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