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Wednesday 1 May 2013

Kill a rhino, kill a species - help Tusk stop this.



Hello and thank you for taking up your time to read my citizenship blog. I’m Gemma and I hope my blog on Tusk Trust interests you into supporting this charity. This charity is to prevent ivory poaching in Africa and the black market trade with China and Japan.

Firstly, I would like everyone to know that, in 2012, over 650 elephants and rhinos were poached for their ivory tusks and horns, also 217 people were arrested for being involved in this issue. But this goal to stop poaching is not Tusk Trust’s only goal, it has 3 main goals; supporting communities, promoting education and protecting wildlife. Tusk operates in 14 African countries, has a base in Dorset, UK, and also has a separate linked charity called Tusk USA, in, of course, the USA. In 2007, there were 13 reported cases of poaching. In 2008, there were 83 reported cases. In 2009, there were 122 reported cases. In 2010, there were 333 reported cases. In 2011, there were 448 reported cases. In 2012, there were over 650 reported cases, the highest ever. But what do the poachers want? Ivory. It is now worth more than gold and is sold for religious artefacts, housing ornaments and decorations. The ivory comes from the horns and tusks of rhinos and elephants, ivory are also the tusks of walruses.
But Tusk Trust isn’t only about protecting wildlife. The charity also helps supporting communities and promoting education, after all every child has a right to learn about the world. The royal patron, the duke and duchess William and Kate have been involved in the Tusk Trust in a huge amount. This includes meeting the founder, Charles Mayhew MBE, and getting a tour of the operating country’s that Tusk operates in.


  • Have you heard or thought about the rhino and elephant poaching before reading my blog?
  • Do you now feel more informed about ivory poaching?
  • Would you be prepared to donate to Tusk to save rhinos and elephant’s?
  • Would you now raise awareness of the poaching situation?
With your answers could you please state your town that you live in.
Thank you very much. Gemma

9 comments:

  1. Great issue, and worthwhile as animals extinct in all our lifetimes !
    1. Yes read about it in newspapers
    2. Yes
    3. Yes
    4. Yes definately
    Totnes

    ReplyDelete
  2. Answers;
    1. Vaguely - knew it existed but not fully aware.
    2. Yes
    3. Possibly although donate to other charities connected to persoanl losses.
    4. Possibly in a minor way for example forwarding your email etc.

    Buckfastleigh.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Gemma for bringing to our attention the increase in the poaching of elephant and rhino for their tusks. We were not aware that the incidence of poaching was increasing so dramatically, and deplore the situation. We live in Loughborough, UK, but travel worldwide on our sailing boat, and plan to visit South Africa within the next few years, where we hope to find that the problem of poaching is being taken very seriously and attempts are successful to minimise it effectively. Best wishes in your endeavours, Kerry and John Pears

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1. Yes
    2. Yes
    3. Yes
    4. Yes

    ReplyDelete
  5. Had not really thought about it seriously although read about it in papers and on TV
    More informed about poaching
    Yes prepared to donate to Tusk
    Yes prepared to and have raised awareness

    M/ Staverton, Totnes

    ReplyDelete
  6. Have heard about poaching in newspapers and TV
    Now more informed with statistics over time
    Yes prepared to donate
    Yes raised profile of poaching and work Trust does
    Morag Staverton Totnes

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good blog
    Heard about poaching in press and TV
    More informed
    Would donate to Tusk
    Happy to raise awareness to Tusk and poaching to friends and colleagues

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good blog. Have heard about poaching, but not the hard facts and what was actually being done about. Informative and interesting, this is a good blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1.yes
    2.yes
    3.yes
    4.yes
    Devon

    ReplyDelete