There are humans on this earth who still feel entitled to the option to purchase ivory. Their relentless desire for counterfeit antiques and dust-collecting figurines has caused a resurgence of poaching, and just over 30,000 elephants are killed each year. This pointless demand for ivory far outweighs the number of living elephants, and is the reasons the elephants are nearing extinction.

To learn more about what is being done to curb the ivory industry, I reached out to Dr. Paula Kahumbu, a Kenyan Conservationist with a PhD from Princeton. Dr. Kahumbu is the CEO of WildlifeDIRECT, an organization known for leading the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign alongside the First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyattato. Their efforts restored Kenya as a leader in the field of elephant conservation through a shift in behaviour at all levels of society. Dr. Kahumbu grew up in Nairobi, surrounded by a rich and diverse wild animal population and Richard Leakey - infamous Kenyan anthropologist, conservationist, and politician - as her neighbor. Despite being sent to secretary school, she pursued her innate passion for wildlife and dream of becoming a scientist working with animals. Dr. Kahumbu was in Manhattan recently to raise awareness about WildlifeDIRECT’s partnership with Amarula, the maker of a South African cream liqueur made from the fruit of the African marula tree (a favourite snack among elephants). I caught up with Dr. Kahumbu to discuss how this new initiative, entitled Don't Let Them Disappear, is affecting the ivory trade at a public and legislative level.

www.wildlifedirect.com Dr. Kahumbu (front row left) and her team from the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign

“We are losing one elephant every 15 minutes. This has a huge impact on their communities, as elephants - much like humans - live in closely interlinked family groups. They connect and interact with other family groups. If one elephant gets killed, other elephants 20 kilometres away will hear about it. elephants communicate on a vast scale using sonic vibration.”

In case a questionably curious friend of yours asks you why we should all care about the plight of the elephant, please inform them that elephants play a huge role in the well being of the African population as well as its biodiversity. Nearly 60 million tourists travel to Africa per year, bringing in huge dollars for local businesses and communities.The tourism industry depends on certain countries in Africa offering robust safaris during which tourists can see their favourite animals - usually elephants - up close and personal. Many countries rely on tourism dollars as a primary source of revenue, so if this is threatened, the citizenry can become threatened. Elephants are known as a keystone species, meaning they play an important role in their ecosystem. They are known as nature’s gardeners, dispersing seeds that trees and plants need to flourish. Without elephants, ecosystems will suffer and could cease to exist.

In short, we should all care about elephants.

In addition to raising awareness, Dr. Kahumbu and her colleagues have been able to affect change at a judiciary level. Through lobbying law makers and politicians worldwide, their efforts have persuaded Kenyan legislators to mandate a life sentence for anyone caught smuggling ivory in Kenya. They also convinced the Chinese government to denounce and devalue the ivory trade. “It’s not enough, but it’s a start,” she says.

On World Elephant Day back in August, Amarula kicked off their partnership with WildlifeDIRECT by giving them $1 from each bottle sold. To celebrate this partnership, famed sculptor Shintaro Okamoto lugged over four tons of ice into Manhattan’s Union Square and sculpted a life-sized elephant between midnight and sunrise. The elephant melted in mere hours, to symbolize the its seemingly inevitable doom as a species. Amarula is running this campaign for the rest of the year in hopes of helping to continue this important discussion and push for the eradication of the ivory industry. Designated drivers are encouraged to support the initiative by donating directly to WildlifeDIRECT.

“Disappearing Elephant” by Shintaro Okamoto