 |
| The Walk for Elephants begins in Arusha. |
On 12th September 2013 the walk for Elephants initiated by the African Wildlife Trust (AWT), 19 days ago in Arusha has completed. The walk undertook a 650 km journey on foot to raise awareness among the people about the poaching crisis that is wiping out our elephants and destroying our wildlife and natural resources. Hundreds of people joined along the way, all very dedicated to take a stand against this horrendous crime and fight to save our elephants.
Reports say at least thirty thousand elephants were killed for their tusks on the African continent in 2012, of which 10,000 came from Tanzania. 30 elephants are slaughtered per day in Tanzania alone.
“The ivory trade has reached new heights of depravity and destruction,” says Pratik Patel, Chief Executive Officer of the African Wildlife Trust. “The bulk of the ivory is meant for the Asian market. No part of Africa is safe.”
The annual value of illegally harvested and sold ivory and rhino horn is estimated at $8 billion. The problem however goes beyond the thousands of bloodied, lifeless carcasses of majestic African giants.
The Walk for Elephants has again echoed locally and internationally on the urgent need for proactive protection of our threatened elephants and wildlife and to educate the local communities on the importance of saving their elephants and reporting poaching activities.
Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Tourism & Natural Resources, Lazaro Nyalandu was the chief guest at the climax of the walk in Dar es salaam at the Mnazi Mmoja grounds.
 |
| Walk for Elephants - holding hands. |
 |
| The Walk for Elephants continues |
 |
| Walk for Elephants – distance walking. |
 |
| Walk for Elephants - Dar es Salaam |
 |
| Pratik at the Walking event |
Photos: African Wildlife Trust.
No comments:
Post a Comment