Washington D.C. — Born Free USA (www.bornfreeusa.org), a leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation, will have a strong presence on Friday, October 4, 2013, at The International March for Elephants, when thousands of people will march in solidarity for elephants in 15 cities around the world in the single largest demonstration of awareness for the species’ imminent extinction. In addition to the staff of Born Free USA’s DC office marching in Washington, Born Free CEO Will Travers, an international expert on the plight of elephants, will be speaking at the rally, following the march.
[teaserbreak]
According to Travers, “Stopping the slaughter of elephants for their ivory is more critical now than ever before. With the barbaric act of poaching at record numbers, we could see some beleaguered populations of African elephants disappear in the wild by 2025. More than 63,000 elephants are known to have been poached since the start of 2012. This is heartbreaking and unacceptable at every level.”
In addition, adds Born Free USA Executive Vice President Adam Roberts, “The brutality and dangers go far beyond the elephants. Criminal syndicates and terrorist groups are known to be using ivory to fund their barbaric activities, a threat to national and regional security. It is reported that more than 1,000 wildlife rangers have been killed in the course of protecting wild animals over the last decade. Protecting elephants from poachers also means protecting the African people.”
The march, which aims to raise global awareness of the illegal ivory trade and its impact on elephant populations, is organized by iworry, a campaign by Kenyan conservation charity The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT). In addition to Washington DC, 14 other cities are participating: Arusha, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Edinburgh, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Munich, Nairobi, New York City, Rome, Toronto, and Wellington.
Born Free maintains a website www.bloodyivory.org which shows what is happening to elephants and encourages the public to lend their voice against the ivory trade.
Born Free USA is a nationally recognized leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic “pets,” trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of “compassionate conservation” — the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son Will Travers, now CEO of both organizations. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally.
More at www.bornfreeusa.org; on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bornfreeusa; and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BornFreeUSA.
Media Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, publicrelations@bornfreeusa.org, (203) 270-8929.