Petition: Save Endangered Pygmy Elephants From Poachers

Poachers are driving many animal species to extinction. Many of these gorgeous, majestic creatures will be gone from the earth before we know it because of those who think they have a right to kill them.

The Borneo pygmy elephant, the smallest of the Asian elephants, is endangered and there are approximately just 1,500 left. In late 2019, a pygmy elephant’s carcass was found and it has been shot 70 times by poachers and had its tusks hacked off.

Elizabeth John, a spokesman for the wildlife trade monitoring group Traffic said: “Identifying and bringing those responsible for the killings to justice is key to tackling this threat. We hope investigations don’t stop at just this case, there is a high chance this is linked to others.”

Pygmy elephants are protected under Malaysian law, but that doesn’t stop cruel poachers. However, when a case like this happens, if it’s investigated fully and the criminals are prosecuted to the full extent of the law, it stops them and prevents others from committing similar crimes. In turn, it can help save pygmy elephants from poachers.

As this petition explains: “Borneo is governed by three separate countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Which means it’s critical that they all work together to protect these endangered elephants from poachers.

And to catch the criminals before they can strike again. Here’s what I mean: if a poacher is operating in the Malaysian portion of the island and kills an elephant, they can cross over to the Indonesian side, or vice versa, and complicate the policing process.”

This means rather than having to investigate cases afterwards through complicated processes, we can stop the crime at the location by increasing protection in Borneo for pygmy elephants.

Sign this petition asking the Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry, Malaysian Minister of Environment, and Brunei’s Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism to work together to implement protection for Pygmy elephants.

This article was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 19 March 2020. Lead Image Source : Natursports/Shutterstock

What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.

DONATE NOW

Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.