Global March for Elephants, Lions and Rhinos

Join 120 other countries in raising awareness to save three of our beautiful Big Five.

Imagine a world where you have to show your children pictures of elephants and rhinos because they no longer exist except as memories. Of course, this could soon be a reality as these magnificent behemoths are being relentlessly poached to extinction because of human greed and ceaseless consumption. If this is a future that you don’t want to be part of, then join the Global March for Elephant, Rhino and Lion happening in Cape Town at Wynberg Park on Friday, 23 September 2016 – the eve of the opening of CoP17 in Johannesburg.

The gathering forms part of a worldwide campaign to save critically endangered lions, rhinos and elephants – all of which are currently facing extinction, and is hosted by Rhinos in Africa. The initiative will be happening simultaneously in 120 different countries to reiterate the message that poaching will not be tolerated and the ivory and rhino horn trade needs to end. The only way we’re going to save three of our Big Five is through a collective effort to protect them.

SOME STATISTICS TO SHOW WHY THIS GLOBAL CAMPAIGN IS NECESSARY

ELEPHANTS: In the last decade, elephant population numbers have dropped by an estimated 62%, with approximately 35, 000 animals being killed every year. Every day, around 100 elephants lose their lives to poachers incentivised by the high price paid for ivory in the Asian market – a price that has tripled in the last four years. Bull elephants are especially targeted due to the length of their tusks, leaving an unequal population distribution between male and female animals. Matriarchs are often killed as well, leading to orphaned calves and female herds without leaders. Elephants have a phenomenally high EQ, and their ritualistic treatment of their dead has been well documented. They mourn the loss of their loved ones in the same way that we do.

RHINOS: Set a reminder on your phone for nine hours’ time. When that alarm goes off, you’ll know that another rhino has been killed. All five remaining rhino species are endangered, with the Western Black Rhino having been declared extinct in 2011. A rhino’s horn isn’t made of ivory, it’s made of keratin – the same substance as your fingernails, but it’s believed to have medicinal and aphrodisiacal properties (which is a complete falsehood, unless you think chewing your nails gives you superpowers – it doesn’t). Rhino poaching is reaching a crisis point, and by 2018 it’s likely that the rate of death will overtake the birth rate. In 2015, 1175 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone. Although this number dropped from 1215 in 2014, it’s still ridiculously high compared to the 13 rhinos that were killed in 2007.

LIONS: Following the death of Cecil, Zimbabwe’s iconic big cat, there was global outrage – the kind of outrage that shouldn’t just be sparked by the death of one animal, but by the relentless hunting of the species as a whole. A century ago, Africa’s kings ruled the plains, with some 200 000 lions spread across the continent. Today, an estimated population of fewer than 30 000 remain, with a recent acceleration in their decline. The International Union for Conservation of Nature have categorised lions as Vulnerable. The threats to the animal differ depending on its location, for example, in Western Africa lions are critically endangered, whereas in SA, a small population increase has been shown. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GLOBAL MARCH FOR ELEPHANTS, RHINOS AND LIONS

Grab your friends and family and head to Wynberg Park at 4pm on Friday, 23 September. There is safe parking available for your cars. 

For more information, email megan@rhinosinafrica.com.

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