Want to send a note to China, the US, or a local representative but don’t know where to begin? Below is a sample letter to help get you started! Feel free to copy, personalize and send to your local government officials!
Dear ____________
As an elephant advocate, I am writing to express my concern over the current international poaching crisis. Every 3 minutes an elephant is poached in Africa, averaging 96 elephants a day. 30,000 elephants were slaughtered just in 2012. With only 400-600,000 elephants on the African continent left, elephants face the threat of extinction in as little as ten years if nothing is done to stop the demand for ivory.
There are three important reasons elephants need our protection. First, elephants are a keystone species, with many plants and animals survival depending upon the elephant. Second, African economies rely heavily on wildlife tourism. Since elephants are the world’s largest land mammal, people travel from all around the world to see and study these animals, and this tourism provides jobs and income for hundreds of thousands of people across the continent. Third, poachers murder rangers every year who are committed to protecting Africa’s wildlife. In the last ten years, 5,000 rangers have been killed by poachers. Recent research also suggests a link between poaching and funding for terrorist organizations around the globe - poachers are a threat to national security.
Please say NO to ivory. I ask that you respond to recent poaching violence by calling on neighboring countries and the world community to follow your example and step up their leadership on this issue.
Thank you.
