Speech- Emily Spivey

The Elephant in the Room

Emily Spivey

I’m going to make a pretty bold statement and say that everyone loves animals. How can you look at their sweet little faces and not want to just give them a big hug? Well…based on the actions of many people throughout the world, I might have to re-evaluate that first sentence. The actions that some people are making do not show their love for animals; rather, they show a complete disrespect and no recognition of animals as living, breathing beings.  Some examples of this behavior includechopping off elephant and rhino tusks, skinning tigers for their fur, and cutting off shark fins… and what for? All of these are done out of greed, depictions of idols, and superstitions. Now, are any of these good enough reasons to risk an animal’sextinction? I don’t think so. 

​According to the World Elephant Day organization, about 100 elephants are murdered everyday by poachers. They are killed for their tusks and meat and sold in Asian markets. Even though ivory trade has been made illegal, thousands of people in Asia find a way to kill the animals and sell the ivory. In China, where about 70% of the illegal ivory trading occurs, elephant tusks can be sold for about $1,000 per pound (The Atlantic pg1)! Animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses, and walruses are killed for profit without a second thought. Often, their carcasses are left to rot after harvesting the ivory.   The earth was once graced with great numbers of these noble creatures, but now, due to poaching for ivory, these great creatures are rapidly declining in number.  For example, in 1980, there were 1.2 million elephants in the wild.  In 2012, that number had dropped to 420,000 (96 Elephants Chapter2)! That is a 65% decline in the modern era, with no significant natural threats to these magnificent creatures. The rhino population is even direr.  In 1969, the population was 70,000.  In 2004, that number had declined to 3,000.  That is a population decline of nearly 96%!  And what does human society have to show for this devastation?  An end to world hunger?  The key to curing cancer?  No.  The tangible result is high prices on illegal trade and trinkets.

I remember in our World History class last year learning about how ivory was seen as an ancient delicacy in places like the Shang Dynasty. Many religions use ivory to depict their gods and goddesses. 

“To be carved into religious artifacts: ivory baby Jesusesand saints for Catholics in the Philippines, Islamic prayer beads for Muslims and Coptic crosses for Christians in Egypt, amulets and carvings for Buddhists in Thailand, and in China—the world's biggest ivory-consumer country—elaborate Buddhist and Taoist carvings for investors,” (National Geographic p.1). 

 

And what is the outcome?  Are worshippers more spiritual and closer to their “god” if they worship an ivory likeness rather than those made of wood, copper, silver, or gold?  And what about the religions that believe we should coexist with animals? They are contradicting their own teachings. Murdering animals to make a statue of their god just doesn’t make sense. There are many other ways to show your love and dedication to your belief. 

​And onto the superstitions… “Shark soup can cure cancer,”or “Elephant ivory can cure cancer.” Asian countries have superstitions that have been around about as long as the previously mentioned religions have. It has been scientifically proven that elephants have a specific cancer fighting gene called p53 that stops or slows down the production of cancer in an elephant’s body. However, there has not been a single time reported that proves any part of an elephant has cured a human’s cancer. Sharks have been believed to be immune to cancer so people have been slaughtering their fins off their backs (which kills them) and eating it in soup or engineering it into a pill to try to obtain the same result. However, it has been proven that sharks can get cancer and that eating their body won’t cure your cancer. So, this belief leads to the killing of millions of sharks for no reason and it gives “doctors” a means to take your money. What a lose-lose situation, for both sharks and you.

There are a couple of ways to improve the issue of animal poaching. First we could tighten the poaching laws. Right now there are laws in Africa that send a poacher to jail but then they are eventually released. What is stopping them from diving right back into it once they are released? Nothing. Then, they also have laws that prevent ivory being brought into the country and prevent it from being sold. Obviously the laws aren’t enforced and there are no punishments for selling it because the ivory industry has increased not decreased. They should make the enforcements harsher and the law officials should take this matter seriously. In the documentary that I watched on the ivory trade called Stopping Poachers by National Geographic, I was able to see the poaching that goes on behind buildings and underground. The officials knew what was happening but they didn’t do anything to stop it. Another thing that could be done isto place protectors of the elephants, rhinos, and any other poached animal around their habitat. This could prevent poachers from entering and killing. Right now there are groups that get together in Asia to protect the animals but I don’t believe that there are enough of them. We need people to rise up and volunteer to protect these animals. This could be a major step in saving these species. A third thing that could be done can be done by you. We need to make this issue more prevalent. It needs to be displayed across social media, billboards, and newspapers. We can all make a difference if we join together and protest against the ivory trade. There are organizations likethe international anti-poaching organization that collectdonations to help protect these animals. You can donate, volunteer, or just spread the word. The more people know about the issue of animal poaching the better. Anything can help stop the spread of animal poaching. 

Regardless of the labels and justifications used, the bottom line on poaching really comes back to greed.  Whether the financial gains from slaughtering elephants for ivory trade, deification of carved idols, or the mythical healing powers of shark-fin soup, every instance represents the pursuit of man to better himself without regard to the devastation caused to the many magnificent creatures throughout the world.

 

 

Works Cited

"About Elephants." World Elephant Day. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://worldelephantday.org/about/elephants>.

"Africa's Poaching Crisis – AWF." Africa's Poaching Crisis –AWF. African Wildlife Foundation, ​n.d. Web. 26 June 2015.

Animals Documentary: STOPPING POACHERS. Perf. Mike Fay. National Geographic Wild, ​​2015. Youtube.

Battle for the Elephants. Dir. John Heminway. Perf. Jonathan Davis. National Geographic, 2012. DVD.

Messenger, Stephen. "Exclusive Interview With An Elephant Poacher." The Dodo. The Dodo, 15 ​Jan. 2014. Web. 26 June 2015. 

Orenstein, Ronald I. Ivory, Horn and Blood: Behind the Elephant and Rhinoceros Poaching Crisis. Buffalo: Firefly, 2013. Print.

Payne PUBLISHED September 16, 2012, Oliver. "Religious Ivory Demand Killing Elephants by Thousands, Report Says." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 16 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/09/120914-ivory-religious-elephants-ban-science-religion/>.

Rosen, Rebecca J. "What Is It about an Elephant's Tusks That Make Them so Vulnerable?" The Atlantic. N.p., 6 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/what-is-it-about-an-elephants-tusks-that-make-them-so-valuable/262021/>.

Stirton, Brent. "I Won't Let Elephants Disappear. Will You?" 96Elephants.org. Wild Conservation Society, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <https://www.96elephants.org/chapter-2>.