On 3 October 2015, the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos took place in London and 130 other cities around the world.
The main focus of the London march this year was to urge the government to take action to help save African elephants. At the end of the march, representatives from Action for Elephants UK, Born Free, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and IFAW delivered a letter to Downing St to urge David Cameron to fulfill his manifesto pledge to “press for a total ban on ivory sales”.
We hope that the large turnout for the march, along with the letter signed by over 100 NGOs, leading conservationists, MPs, and celebrities, will show Cameron the strength of public feeling about the issue. The Conservative Party made the same pledge to ban ivory in its 2010 manifesto – but failed to take action. In the 5 years since then, over 170,000 elephants have been brutally slaughtered for their ivory. David Cameron cannot afford to dither any longer in the face of this horrific crisis – he must act now to end all UK involvement in the ivory trade.
This is the letter and list of signatories:
6 October 2015
Dear Prime Minister,
Our group Action for Elephants UK and the undersigned are writing to appeal to you to ban all trade in ivory in the UK, as promised in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto in 2010 and reiterated in its 2015 manifesto.
Action for Elephants UK is a grass-roots advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness and taking action on behalf of elephants both in the wild and captivity. In particular, we are working to end the elephant poaching crisis and ivory trade. Our group has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2013, reflecting the increasing public concern for the ongoing poaching crisis that is decimating elephants in the wild.
It is estimated that upwards of 35,000 elephants continue to be slaughtered for their ivory every year. At this rate of poaching, the two species of African elephants (savannah and forest) could disappear from the wild within a generation. The window of opportunity for saving them is rapidly shrinking. As you are aware, the most significant way that elephants can be saved from extinction is by ending consumer demand for ivory and closing down domestic ivory markets, everywhere.
At present a legal ivory trade exists in the UK. Within the EU, the UK is one of the largest markets for ivory; the UK sells significant amounts of ivory on online marketplaces. Any legal trade enables and encourages illegal trade in ivory, while continuing to perpetuate the cycle of supply and demand.
Further, it makes it more difficult to urge China to adopt an ivory ban if the UK and other western countries have failed to do the same.
In the 5 years since the Conservative Party committed to ending ivory trade in 2010, elephant numbers have crashed in what has become the worst poaching crisis ever. Between 2010 and 2012 over 100,000 elephants were brutally slaughtered for their ivory. Tanzania alone has lost 60% of its elephant population, and Mozambique around half. The trade is fuelled by organized criminal syndicates and widespread corruption, and terrorist groups are also involved in, and partly funded by, poaching and trafficking.
In 2014, the US government announced federal initiatives to ban ivory, and in July 2015 President Obama proposed new regulations that would virtually eliminate all ivory trade in the US. In February 2015, China imposed a 1-year ban on the import of carved ivory, and in May announced it would ‘take measures to strictly control its ivory trade until eventually halting commercial processing and the sale of ivory and its products’. Last month President Obama and Xi Jinping agreed to enact ‘nearly complete bans on ivory imports and exports’ and to ‘take steps to halt the domestic commercial trade of ivory’.
Now is the time for the UK to join the global momentum and for the government to turn its promise to ban all ivory trade into long overdue action.
Prime Minister, on behalf of all concerned citizens in the UK, we respectfully appeal to you to honour your pledge and commit the UK to ending all domestic trade in ivory once and for all.
We thank you for your attention and consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Maria Mossman
And we, the undersigned:
Damian Aspinall
Chairman, The Aspinall Foundation
Mike Baker
Chief Executive, World Animal Protection
Claire Bass
Executive Director, Humane Society International UK (HSI UK)
Sport Beattie
Game Rangers International
Sarah Blaine
CEO and Founder of Mahouts Elephant Foundation
Scott Blais
Co-founder, Global Sanctuary for Elephants
Richard Bonham
Co-founder & Director, Big Life Foundation
Rob Brandford
Director David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust iworry Campaign
and
Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E
Chairman David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Carol Buckley
Founder, Elephant Aid International
Reute Butler
President, Friends of Conservation US
and
Jorie Butler Kent
Founder and Chairman, Friends of Conservation
and
Amanda Bleasby
Operations Director, Friends of Conservation UK
Julie Callahan
March for Elephants, Santa Cruz, CA
Nicky Campbell
TV and radio presenter
Salisha Chandra
Founding member, Kenyans United Against Poaching – KUAPO Trust
Stefano & Liz Cheli
CEOs, Cheli & Peacock Safaris and the C&P Community Trust
Katherine Connor
Founder and CEO, Boon Lotts Elephant Sanctuary
Ian Craig
Director of Conservation, The Northern Rangelands Trust
Brian Davies
Network for Animals
Arend de Haas
Co-founder & Director, African Conservation Foundation
Iain Douglas-Hamilton OBE
Founder and CEO, Save the Elephants
Lee Durrell
Honorary Director, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Dr Keith Dutlow
Trustee and Director, AWARE Trust Zimbabwe
Dominic Dyer
CEO Badger Trust & Policy Advisor Born Free Foundation
Dr Kate Evans
Founder & Director, Elephants for Africa
Peter Fearnhead
CEO, African Parks
Sudarshani Fernando
Co-founder & Facilitator, Sentinels Against Wildlife Crime (SAWC)
Ricky Gervais
Writer and producer
Jane Goodall PhD DBE
Founder the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace
Max Graham
Founder & CEO, Space for Giants
Raabia Hawa
Executive Director, Ulinzi Africa Foundation& Founder of Walk With Rangers Initiative
Stephanie Hilbourne OBE
Chief Executive, The Wildlife Trusts
Liz Hosken
Director, The Gaia Foundation
Sujeewa Jasinghe
Co-founder & Director, Centre for Eco-cultural Studies (CES)
Stanley Johnson
Author and conservationist
Dr Trevor Jones
Southern Tanzania Elephant Project
Paula Kahumbu, O.G.W
Chief Executive Officer, Wildlife Direct
Max and Josh Kauderer
Founders, Elephant Highway
Alan Knight OBE
CEO, International Animal Rescue
Peter Knights
Executive Director, WildAid
Hussein Lalani
Ex-CEO, 99p
James Littlewood
Director, Natural History Society of Northumbria
Joanna Lumley OBE
Philip Mansbridge
Director, UK – International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Struan McDougall
Founder and trustee, The CCG Trust
Virginia McKenna OBE Hon Dr Science
Founder, Born Free Foundation
and
Will Travers
President, Born Free Foundation
Kate Moore
Programmes Manager, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust
Dr. Ciaran Mundy and Dominic Neate
Trustees, One World Wildlife
Ingrid E Newkirk
Founder, PETA
Graeme Oliver
Director, Poached Rhino
Asgar Pathan
Executive Director, Care for the Wild Kenya
Dr. Mark Pilgrim
Director General, Chester Zoo, former chair UK Elephant Welfare Group
Ian Redmond
Independent wildlife biologist, Founder of the African Ele-Fund and Ambassador for the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species
Mary Rice
Executive Director, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
Jo Roberts
CEO, The Wilderness Foundation
John Roberts
Director of Elephants, Golden Triangle Elephant Foundation
Jen Samuel
President, Elephants DC
Noor Santosian
Founder, Africa Nomads Conservation
John Sauven
Executive Director, Greenpeace UK
David Shepherd CBE
Founder and President of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
The Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith
Bishop of St Albans
Craig Spencer
Founder and Executive Director, Black Mamba APU, Head Warden, Balule Nature Reserve
Patsy Stagman
Rhino Conservation Dubai
Ian Stevenson
CEO Conservation Lower Zambezi
Yvette Taylor
International Executive Director, Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization
Janet Thomas
Founder and Chairperson, Animal Aid Abroad Inc.
Jaime Unwin and Hannah Pollock
Co-Founders, Stand up for Nature
Stéphanie Vergniault
Chairman, SOS Elephants
Rory Young
Co-Founder, Chengeta Wildlife
Members of UK Parliament:
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
MP, Ochil and South Perthshire
David Anderson
MP, Blaydon
Clive Betts
MP, Sheffield South East
Alan Brown
MP, Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Nick Brown
MP, Newcastle upon Tyne East
Fiona Bruce
MP, Congleton
Lisa Cameron
MP, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Alan Campbell
MP, Tynemouth
Alistair Carmichael
MP, Orkney and Shetland
Maria Caulfield
MP, Lewes
Mark Durkan
MP, Derry
Vicky Foxcroft
MP, Lewisham Deptford
Roger Godsiff
MP, Birmingham Hall Green
Zac Goldsmith
MP, Richmond Park
Helen Goodman
MP, Bishop Auckland
George Kerevan
MP, East Lothian
Chris Law
MP, Dundee West
Caroline Lucas
MP, Brighton Pavilion
Justin Madders
MP, Ellesmere Port and Neston
John Mann
MP, Bassetlaw
John McDonnell
MP, Hayes and Harlington
Grahame Morris
MP, Easington
Kate Osamor
MP, Edmonton
Andrew Rosindell
MP, Romford
Cat Smith
MP, Lancaster and Fleetwood
Jeff Smith
MP, Manchester Withington
John Spellar
MP, Warley
Members of the House of Lords:
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
Lord and Lady Judd
Baroness (Ruth) Lister of Burtersett
Lord Stoddart of Swindon
Baroness Young of Old Scone
Members of the European Parliament:
Catherine Bearder
MEP, South East England
Dominique Bilde
MEP, France
Richard Corbitt
MEP, Yorkshire and The Humber
Seb Dance
MEP, London
Anneliese Dodds
MEP, South East of England
Stefan Eck
MEP, Germany
Bas Eickhout
MEP, The Netherlands
Neena Gill
MEP, West Midlands
Julie Girling
MEP, South West England
Jeppe Kofod
MEP, Denmark
Jean Lambert
MEP, London
David Martin
MEP, The Lothians
Marlene Mizzi
MEP, Malta
Pavel Poc
MEP, Czech Republic
Michèle Rivasi
MEP, France
Molly Scott Cato
MEP, South West of England
Bart Staes
MEP, Belgium
Keith Taylor
MEP, South East Region
Claude Turmes
MEP, Luxembourg
Ernest Urtasun
MEP, Spain
Ivo Vajgl
MEP, Slovenia