Dear Reader,
I am an elephant in Africa and I know you live somewhere far away probably with some cuddly critters. I bet they are eagerly waiting for you to come home to them. Maybe you have a dog, a cat, or a rabbit. I know those are very loved pets in your place that share your habitat with you. My habitat is a little different. I'm in a very hot safari and I share this place with other elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes and many others. But I'm writing to you today because I'm sad that my friends and I are slowly disappearing day after day.
I bet you didn't know how much you really cared and involved yourself with me and my friends until now. I bet you didn't know that people have been murdering us for over 40 years. Murder is a crime and people are punished for it. Is murdering an innocent human different than murdering an innocent animal who both have done no wrong to you?
Poaching is the illegal killing or trading of endangered species. Besides being your beloved mascots and stuffed animals, we live our lives in fear. We are victims of people's crimes just like you. We feel pain, we bleed, we cry and we die just like you.
Did you know that across the entire continent of Africa in 2015, at least 1,338 rhinos were killed by poachers? Did you know that 1,175 were poached in South Africa alone? The Western Black rhino species was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with the primary cause being poaching. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species lists a total of 6,652 male lions "trophy hunted" between 2000-2009. This is real. This is a real crime with real consequences. And I'm not just talking about the poachers who get caught. We are real animals who have a very slim chance of continuing to exist if poaching doesn't stop. This may not be happening in your place, but that doesn't mean it's not important.
My kind is the largest land species in the world and have been hunted, exterminated and injured since 1980. Between 1983-1984, 2,773 of my relatives were slaughtered or dismembered for illegal trade in Kruger National Park in South Africa. National Geographic says from 2012-2014, 100,000 of us were killed in Africa for our ivory tusks. Do you know why?
Because of greed. Because of money. My friends and I who aren't left dead to the buzzards are left defenseless in the wild with no horns, tusks or fur because the poachers want money. This money will buy them a nice car or two, maybe a new house. Is taking our innocent lives or mutating our bodies forever really worth the inevitable? Those cars will break down. That house will suffer outbreaks and water damage. Money doesn't last forever, nor does anything you buy with it.
My letter is not to scare you, but it is to inform you. It is to educate you on what is happening in this world that is being underestimated and overlooked. The animal kingdom goes beyond your cats and dogs. We are all beautiful. Love us. Support us. Help protect us.
There are ways to prevent poaching and to assist in the movement of protection for endangered species. There are petitions you can sign to show that you care. The World Wildlife Fund has so many donation funds you can contribute to. You can even volunteer with the International Anti-Poaching Foundation to take action against wildlife crime! One click from you can help protect what is left of me.
Educating yourself on the facts and sharing them with your people is the best way to aid in ending wildlife crime for good. We are more scared of you than you could ever be of us.
man running in forestPhoto by 
