Looking at this image of this dead elephant brings tears to my eyes. No animal should feel threatened in their own environment. This elephant was killed by an electric fence set up by a farmer in order to protect their crops. The farmers come into the wilderness to set up camp for growing their product(s), not thinking about what harm they can do to the animals in the surrounding area. Elephants love to wander in their environment and having these threats can cause serious danger to the elephants and even the farmers. There are plenty of things we can do to change that.
First off, farmers need to find a better place to plant their crops. An unbothered habitat with no wildlife within the surrounding habitats. The wilderness isn’t the only place farmers can plant their crops. Most farmers try to get rid of the animals by sending them to zoos or other unfamiliar locations, which can cause them to act out violently and potentially hurt themselves or others. Instead of moving the animals and causing a lot of problems, the farmers can move their plantation somewhere else.
How many times a week do you drink coffee? I try to minimize it to about one serving a week, but some days, I feel as though I need it to get through the day. Have you ever thought about where your coffee is from? Some major coffee companies get their coffee from coffee plantations in wilderness habitats. Starbucks, for example, get their coffee beans from these plantations, but they give back by hiring people to go work on the plantations in order to keep the elephants away from damaging the crops without hurting the elephants in any way.
I look at pictures of baby elephants almost every day. They are absolutely adorable and lovable. It would make my life complete if I could pet a baby elephant. While I was reading about elephants, I came across a website that lets you “adopt” an elephant for at least $25. There are other packages you can buy when adopting, but if you just want to adopt an elephant without all the fancy add ins, the $25 package is best.
To me, that is a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, you can’t see the elephant in person, but by adopting them, you protect them from being hunted or killed by people living in the surrounding areas.
We tend to use wood logs to keep warm during the winter time, but not everybody gets their wood locally. Unless you live in the wilderness and have no other option, I would recommend getting your wood logs locally if possible. My grandpa gets out fire wood logs from his hunting clubhouse, away from wilderness areas that have elephants and other wildlife living nearby. Cutting down trees for wood affects elephants because the trees provide shade on hot days and doesn’t let their skin get any more dry than it already is. The elephants also need oxygen coming off the trees in order to survive. Just like humans.
Donating to a wildlife fund, no matter what amount, will make a huge impact. Whether it’s $10 or $100, donating will help keep the elephants from becoming extinct. Donations are always accepted, and personally it makes me feel happy that I could help contribute to something I love which is an amazing feeling.
If the elephants feel unsafe in an environment, sanctuaries can be built to give them the comfort they need. Sanctuaries are like free range zoos. They provide care for the elephants natural habitat so the elephants don’t get uncomfortable and act out violently from being in an unfamiliar place. The elephants will get to roam around as much as they please.
The sanctuary hires workers to stick around in case something bad happens to one of the wildlife animals and they need to take immediate action. People are able to visit sanctuaries, but only during certain periods of time on certain days. Unlike a zoo, the workers can’t bring the animals out to be seen by visitors. Visiting a sanctuary is a bit of a hit or miss situation.
If you know anyone that likes to hunt, ask them about how many animals they take in each year. Do they have a set limit on how many animals they plan on killing each year or do they go for as many as they can find? Elephant hunters, also known as poachers, have no limit on how many elephants they can kill each year. Poaching is illegal across the planet. There is no tolerance for elephant poaching. Elephants tusks, skin, and meat are worth a lot of money, which gives poachers the motivation to kill as many as they can find.
There is a solution for both the poachers and the elephants. Trophy hunters are just like poachers, except they set a limit on how many elephants they can kill each year, which tends to be 2 to 3. The limit gives the elephants time to repopulate and teach other elephants where to get water and food in order to survive in the wilderness.
Elderly elephants are essential to their social groups because they are the leaders. They have the most knowledge about the habitat and elephants tend to travel great distances to get their food, which can be hard for the younger elephants to remember their way back to their shelter space or to their food source. Female elephants tend to be the leaders since the males stay behind and guard their territory to make sure they have a place to stay safe at night.
Do NOT buy ivory at ANY cost! Ivory is made from elephant tusks and the only way the ivory can be retrieved is by killing the elephant and removing the tusks from the dead body. Can you imagine pulling out an elephant tusk just to make a cheap sculpture that will most likely break? It’s completely pointless and very harmful to the elephants.
I know, you are thinking “they are already dead! they would not know this is happening!”, but I think that an elephant should be left alone when it passes at first. Wait till it’s rested for a while before you go crazy and tear them apart. I cannot imagine even pinching an elephant. It hurts my heart to even think about it.
So the next time you are out shopping and you see anything made of ivory, do NOT purchase it. Once companies realize this product is not being purchased, they will stop selling it in stores, which will eventually make the factories go out of business. Sculptures can be made out of other materials instead of animal teeth.
These factors are really tiny adjustments that can be incorporated into your every day lives without making a drastic change. You don’t have to do every single thing on this list, but by simply doing one of these tasks, you will help make a difference in the elephant community. Personally, checking if my coffee is elephant-friendly and getting my fire wood locally makes me feel better knowing that I can enjoy these wonderful things without harming wonderful animals.
I hope this post gives you motivation to make a change!
Kat Chat 