The greed-motivated slaughter of African elephants

Help Stop the African Elephant Slaughter! The United States is the second largest consumer of illegal ivory in the world. Donate now to help Defenders shut down illegal ivory trafficking into and within the United States!

 Hi Katalusis friends,

Although I've long been in awe of elephants, I'd never given much thought to genuine ivory or how it's obtained until Jamie Rappaport Clark started cluing me in to the greed-motivated slaughter of these legendary, dignified, and intelligent beasts. Read the email below that I just received from Jamie, and you'll be as shocked as I was to learn of our nation's role in this travesty.

Dear Virginia,

As you read this, an African elephant lies dying – yet another victim of a poacher's rifle. Her ivory tusks will be hacked off her still-warm body to fuel an illegal international ivory trade worth millions of dollars.

This is the gruesome reality behind the illegal ivory trade – but you can help stop it.

Between 2010 and 2012, poachers slaughtered an estimated 100,000 elephants for their ivory. That's roughly one elephant butchered every 15 minutes.

Your urgent gift will help Defenders reduce the demand for ivory here in the United States and support international efforts to stop the killing.

The United States is the second largest consumer of illegal ivory in the world. But even as President Obama seeks to end U.S. trade in ivory and other illegal wildlife, Congress is introducing legislation to relax restrictions on importing, exporting and selling ivory in the United States!

Your urgent support will help us raise our voices for embattled elephants by helping us:

• Keep the pressure on the White House to follow through on plans to end the domestic trade in ivory;
• Mobilize against Congressional efforts to weaken ivory import, export and sale restrictions;
• At the grassroots level, help enact state-wide ivory bans in key consuming states; and
• Ensure U.S. conservation leadership at international wildlife fora such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

As America’s leading voice for imperiled wildlife, Defenders has a critical role to play in stopping the deadly scourge of elephant poaching by shutting down illegal ivory trafficking into and within the United States. And it’s not just elephants – illegal international trade in wildlife is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Tigers, rhinos and sea turtles are also being decimated to fuel these illicit markets.

There’s no time to lose. Stand with me today so that our children can experience the wonder of elephants in their world.

Thank you for your generous support!

Sincerely,

Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife