About the Poachers

The week has been long for Jim Nyamu who has walked from town to town and state to state, completing 400 of the 560- mile walk for his Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk campaign. In his heart and on his mind were the people of his homeland, Kenya. On September 21, 2013 terrorists attacked shoppers at the affluent Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi. At least 67 men, women, and children were killed, dozens more missing. The Islamist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack was the worst national tragedy in Kenya since the UN Embassy bombing in 1998, a local Kenyan said. The poaching crisis and terrorism are deeply connected. Sales from ivory contribute to at least 40% of terrorist organizations’ coffers. Jim reminds us that if we enforce the poaching ban enacted in 1989, we will cut the terrorists off at the knees.

Nyamu indicates that it is not a terrorist group that is decimating the elephant species, but local poachers. Jim remains steadfast in his message that we must engage the poachers in wildlife conservation to save the elephant species, restore the environment, sustain local lives and communities, and protect tourism. These are the people who hold the key to the world’s love affair with Africa. He insists that we must educate, train, and employee the boys, men, and even some women who live in communities outside the perimeter of the reserves, off the radar, vital to the protection of the animals and land they share.

The residents’ intimate knowledge of the land and habits of their wildlife neighbors create the perfect opportunity for them to learn and adapt important conservation skills and become scouts. Scouts protect land barriers between encroacher and wildlife, reduce human-elephant conflict, monitor  the remaining elephants, and so much more. They earn the needed respect and income to serve and protect the vast expanse of land where elephants, hyenas, lions, and rhinos once flourished. Through the efforts of the Elephant Neighbours Center and the Kenyan Wildlife Service, Jim proposes to change the tide for the poachers who are caught in the middle. Training will require time and money.

Kenya welcomes an average of 1 million visitors per year, over 100,000 visitors from the US alone.  Kenya only receives about $856.7 million dollars in revenue from tourism. If Kenya loses its tourism due to threats of violence or loss of wildlife in the area, conservation dollars will plummet. Then, as Jim reminds us, there will be no elephant or animal to visit. Jim points to Somalia as an example: There are no more elephants in Somalia, according to Nyamu. Terrorist groups are plentiful and tourism is dead. Moreover, it’s easy for terrorist groups to recruit locals to join with such a lack of resources.

In the US, where our respected visitor Jim Nyamu is walking his 560 miles to educate about poaching, we remain fearful of terrorism. In the years since 9/11 and more recently in Boston, MA we triage the situation but have not addressed the source, the people involved in these groups. In Africa, they are the source to end poaching and limit the financial means of terrorist cells. Jim recognizes that Americans are interested in learning how to contribute to ending poaching. He has been walking and talking. He speaks with scores of people, classes, and organizations throughout his American visit. And, his message is clear. Create opportunities for the local communities to limit poaching and cripple terrorist activities.

The world’s expectation is that Africa’s people, the fauna and flora wait at the gate to greet visitors at its door with a glass of champagne, candle-lit dinner, and serenading wild animals in the night. In a recent interview with NPR, however, Jim warns us that if the world loses the elephant, this romance will crash into the rocks. We must protect wildlife and the African continent’s ecosystem, engage and educate local Africans, maintain the tourism trade, and weaken terrorist organizations like Al-Shabaab.  It’s relevant to say in this case that in this vicious cycle of fear, greed, and need, one of the keys to success and the end of the game for terrorists is to foster the people of Africa and put a stop to poaching.

We must invest our efforts into the global consciousness through real-world solutions and refrain from reactionary fear tactics. Only then may we experience that out-of-body dream safari, courtesy of the Kenyan scouts whose reputation is to welcome you with open arms, with a bright and genuine smile, willing to share homes, communities, land, and elephants with you.

Honoring the Giving Photographer

Peer into the lens to experience your subject, that one special image that you simply must capture. Memory and emotion are attached to that photograph. Sometimes, you take many shots to depict the perfect perspective. Professional photographers snap thousands of shots, edit for hours to get the right image, the picture that expresses the life and intensity in the subject. The photographers who work tirelessly to give a voice to elephants will donate work to be auctioned tomorrow night at the reception for The Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk. They capture the magnificence of wildlife, including elephants, prancing, playing babies, magnificent lumbering bulls, playful loving families, mothers with trunks wrapped around newborn calves, strong and noble matriarchs. Can you imagine the love and respect they must feel for these gentle giants? Each image is a gift to the world that breathes life into photographs,portraying hope, displaying the affection, care and intelligence, strength and beauty of the elephant.

Michael North, long-time photographer in Kenya who donates his images to conservation efforts finds himself “emotionally trapped between being in awe of and fearing for my subjects. Conservation photography is a window into the very soul of the elephant and inspires us to respond, engage and fight for this glorious species.” Donating to the Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk campaign, Michael has walked with Jim Nyamu in Kenya, photographing Jim’s historic walk in Africa that raised awareness and funds for the Elephant Neighbors Center. The ENC’s mission is to “experience a landscape where elephants and communities are roaming widely and peacefully and in harmony with local economy and ecological environment.”

Billy Dodson, a seasoned professional photographer from the US offers the image featured on the official t-shirt of the Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk. He created Amboseli Family, an image that was displayed in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in the US. About his subjects, Billy is quoted as saying, “I think it actually helps if you love nature, or some aspect of it, to the point of obsession. I’m not recommending insanity, but in my case I think it’s helped make me successful,” Dodson says. “If you’re passionate about your subjects, I think it makes it much easier to capture their heart and essence.”

Dick Berry, also from the US shows us his concern for the elephant species warning that “the saying goes that time is on your side, but as it stands now that is so far from the truth. The killing of African Elephants has recently accelerated out of control in certain parts of Africa and if the bloodshed doesn’t stop they will become extinct in a very short time.” He donates his pieces to save the species, the goal of so many of us across the globe.

From South Africa, photographer Rob Fleming tells us that his ambition is to “provide services to aid the existing establishments in combating the war on our wildlife, and combat the demolition of the environment to fill the greed of man, but to the detriment of our fauna and flora.” Rob is donates his work to the auction as well as to schools in South Africa to educate students.

We thank each of these men for sharing a piece of themselves, images adored by many and dedicated to the elephant and its conservation. Please join the Reception and Auction, September 24, 2013 at Nonantum Farm, Landenburg, PA. Contact Jen Samuel at: jenpoetess@aol.com for details.

Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk and The Keystone Species

Would you walk in your country for 30 days, for 570 miles through temperatures that range from hot to cold, through pouring rain and on the shoulder of heavily traversed highways and roads? Would you climb up and down hilly roadsides over rocks, and through trees and bushes to deliver a message? It is a monumental task, exhausting and necessary. Combine this massive undertaking with almost daily speaking engagements and all-day educational seminars at prominent colleges and organizations. There’s little sleep, fatigue, an overwhelming heartache, a plea to be heard. Jim Justus Nyamu and his loyal followers are the voices of our elephants. The message is clear: we must act now to save our world’s elephants.

Jim reminds America that in 1989, the US was a leader in banning the trade of ivory. President Bush implored the world:

''We do this out of mounting concern for the rapid decline of the wild elephant, one of nature's most majestic creatures,'' Mr. Bush said, ''If their population continues to diminish at current rates, the wild elephant will soon be lost from this earth.''

The message produced results. For a time, elephant populations rebounded. The protection of the elephant, a Keystone species, as noted by Jim, provides nourishment, the preservation of watering holes, cleared pathways for travel, and many other ways that play a vital role in the environment as described by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya.

The ban on ivory lasted for 8 years until the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) allowed the sanctioned sale of ivory, once again, according to the PBS documentary Battle for Elephants. CITES shamefully caved in to pressure from the Chinese and Japanese governments that demanded the trade of the tusks of these magnificent and breath-taking beings, so full of love for each other that they mourn their dead in a manner unlike any other animal species that we know of.

“They live in a fluid fission-fusion society with relationships radiating out from the mother-offspring bond through families, bond groups, clans, independent males and beyond to strangers,” as we learn from Elephant Voices based right here in California, USA.

Protection and respect for elephants fell away once again. Populations plummeting to today’s numbers of under 400,000 left in the wild, 36,000 per year, 96 per day, 1 elephant killed every 15 minutes. This countdown lives in the hearts and minds of the building individuals and communities bonded together in hope, fear, and determination, imploring the people of the United States to heed the warning and remove the stigma of being the 2nd largest consumer of ivory in the world, a statistic that stains the reputation of this global power that protected elephants just 25 years ago.

Although President Obama appointed an Advisory Council just last week, is the US media turning their backs on the elephants or do they also need to be educated on a larger scale and by who? The Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk campaign brought to the US by Jim Justus of The Elephant Neighbors Center in Kenya is a wake-up call. According to Jim Nyamu, not only does the US government and its people need to “take swift action”, the media that seems to somewhat ignore the issue, must take the lead in educating Americans through their vast multimedia outlets to reach audiences in the millions. The media must take this message to the masses as is their ethical, political, and social responsibility to the world in protection of the elephant species.

Jim reassured me that if the poaching of elephants for ivory does not stop, Americans will never see another elephant or the many other species of animals whose lives are sustained by them. Jim Nyamu continues his Walk, culminating this effort at the International March for Elephants in Washington, DC on October 4, 2013. He educates us, sometimes one at a time, raising awareness and delivering the message that we, as Americans must “commit again and support the ban on ivory.”

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Collaboration to Save A Species

The momentum to stop the poaching crisis is building, the tension palpable.  As individuals, organizations, and governments acknowledge the imminent danger elephants and other wildlife face, the message is clear: Poaching must stop or we will lose one of our most beloved and important species. We are giving a voice to our elephants and we are being heard.

Jim Justus Nyamu, a leading voice in the global community that focuses on elephant conservation and founder of The Elephant Neighbors Center in Kenya is in the US walking 560 miles in one month to raise awareness and funds for the Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk.  On October 4, 2013 Jim will complete his journey in Washington DC at the International March for Elephants, a campaign created by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Jim will speak to hundreds of supporters about ending elephant poaching through local community involvement, education, and financial support.

Jim’s presence in the US is especially relevant this month. Just a few weeks ago, the US government announced an advisory council to provide funds andl “support our partners’ anti-poaching and law enforcement efforts”. A few weeks later, a ton of ivory was confiscated in New York. And, most recently, the US government announced that it would crush over 6 tons of illegal ivory being held in the US in early October. Whether you simply share the message on social media, wear an iworry bracelet or Ivory Belongs to Elephants t-shirt, walk with Jim Nyamu, march for elephants, or foster a DSWT orphaned elephant  you can be part of the growing buzz in the US community. The buzz is growing into a cacophony that will ring the ears of every contributing government, organization, and poacher in the world.

The poachers, according to Nyamu, need more training and funding to compete with the high rate of pay they earn for ivory. Organizations like The Elephant Neighbors Center offer training in conservation and better land and crop management techniques for residents to live more harmoniously with elephants and create a sustainable income.  Namibia and other countries also have conservation programs at work. But, funds and training are needed quickly. Kenya’s new laws calling for stricter punishments for poaching have not gone into effect yet.  The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust reported:

“an unprecedented upsurge in Poisoned Arrow poaching, which is a very disturbing trend that is taking a devastating toll of Elephants throughout the Tsavo ecosystem. THE KWS/DSWT Mobile Veterinary Unit has been kept fully occupied on a daily basis, at times treating more than 3 cases every single day... We believe that this Poaching frenzy is a result of the publicity surrounding the proposed imposition of more deterrent punishments for poaching offences by the newly elected Kenyatta/Ruto Government.”

An elephant is killed in this manner every 15 minutes for their ivory so the time to act is now. As Jim Justus Nyamu walks, as the world marches and shares, we are reminded that we are connected to our gentle giants, noble, graceful, and kind. We are connected and we are beginning to unite in our efforts to stop the madness.

Ivory Belongs To Elephants Walk Week 1

As Jim Justus Nyamu begins his second week of the Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk, the US government announced good news that the US will destroy 6 tons of illegal ivory. Hopefully this news will energize Jim and supporters who have already walked 131 miles last week through much of Massachusetts and into Rhode Island. Last week, Jim kicked off his walk with the President/CEO of IFAW, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Azzedine Downes. “We are proud supporters of Jim, and hosted a reception for him today at our international headquarters to kick off his walk,” said Downes.

 Jim has been well-received by the local communities he has touched. The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast/Museum and The Captain Stannard House Country Inn graciously offered accommodations to Jim and his companions, offering Jim the opportunity to educate local communities.

Local news media have featured Jim’s Walk, as well. The Herald News featured an article on Jim’s Walk quoting Jim as saying.

“The slaughter of elephants upsets the ecosystem. Nyamu said elephants are the protectors and leaders for other animals. Without elephants, lions, rhinoceros, zebras and hyenas become unsafe.”

 W95 WXTK News Radio also featured a story on The Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk. And, Capecodonline featured an article on Jim that stated: 

“For one thing, he said, many people in Kenya and elsewhere don't understand the ecological significance of elephants — something he blamed on scientists like himself for not being better educators. Also, he said, most poachers are young men under the age of 30 who are not thinking about long-term consequences, only the money they can earn from selling tusks. Still, Nyamu said, he's been encouraged over the past year because he's been able to convince former poachers to join him in his elephant conservation efforts — evidence that if poachers are given opportunities to earn a living in other ways, they will.”

All of these articles share crucial information, raise awareness, and offer some solutions to end or at least curb the poaching of our remaining elephants. But Jim and the Ivory Belongs to Elephants campaign still need our support for gasoline, lodging, and donations to the campaign. As founder of The Elephant Neighbors Center in Kenya, Jim hopes to raise funds in the US to educate and train local communities in conservation and build relationships between the farmers and elephants.

Jim Justus Nyamu is already walking this week with a visit to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut to speak about conserving African elephants. One step, one mile, one day at a time Jim will connect, raise awareness, and walk on to the next destination in this historic journey to save our elephants that are being poached at a rate of 1 every 15 minutes.

International March for Elephants

The passion and pain, hope and yearning to save our elephants can seem lonely, sometimes. Hope wanes with a new statistic: an elephant killed for ivory every 15 minutes. There arrives a mad dash to help, panic to save them, overwhelming sadness, and the need to make a difference. Hope returns with the news of another orphan or poaching victim saved or law enacted to protect the endangered elephants. The general public seems oblivious, sometimes. For most of the world, elephants are just too remote to create an impact on daily life. But, that’s about to change.

On October 4, 2013 we will journey to 15 cities around the globe for The International March for Elephants hosted by iworry.org a campaign belonging to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Imagine the feel of a journey with like-minded and passionate friends of elephants, all determined to save the lives of our gentle giants. We will be united with our growing community of people determined to stop the ivory trade. As one, we will flood the streets. Matching shirts and smiles, strength in numbers with a vision and a mission to save a species that has roamed the planet for 50 million years. We will not lose hope for them. We will be the voice of the elephants for a day.

We will connect with the passersby, citizens, and leaders of our cities. We will have their attention. We will educate them, enlist them into our army, and take a stand against poaching. We will demand change and fight for life. The murmur of the crowd between on-lookers and participants so ready to share our passion and drive with a willing ear will reverberate throughout the world. Conversations will abound between marchers connecting us with each other as one voice, collaborating and sharing.

Can you imagine the entrancing murmur, the presence, the energy and the message we will share across the globe from 15 cities around the world including Bangkok, New York City, Munich, Melbourne, Nairobi, and Washington DC will share?  We are collaboration. We are a united front. We are coming to a city near you to be a voice, to educate, and take a stand on October 4, 2013 with The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust as our leader.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is an organization with its roots in Africa. It was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E, in honor of the memory of her late husband, famous naturalist and founding Warden of Tsavo East National Park, David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE. It is run by Angela Sheldrick, Daphne Sheldrick’s daughter, who has been managing the Trust’s activities for more than a decade. The DSWT is a multi-faceted organization best known in the public for rescuing and fostering orphaned elephants, the youngest victims of the poaching crisis and returning more than 150 matured elephants into the wild. Some of the Sheldrick elephants come back to visit from time to time. The DSWT hosts other orphans in need, including rhinos, and contributes to their well-being. The Trust’s mission statement is:

“The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces all measures that compliment the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife. These include anti-poaching, safe guarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in wild terms when grown.”

The DSWT does so much more than rescuing and raising orphaned elephants. Besides removing deadly poaching snares and utilizing professional wildlife veterinarians to treat victims of gunshot and poison arrow wounds, they also support the local community, raise awareness, and educate future generations on the importance of conservation of our wildlife. The organization thinks long-term to “improve living conditions and educational standards, encouraging communities and the next generation to protect their wildlife and environment…essential components in the Trust’s approach to long-term wildlife protection, each requiring sustainable financial support in order to continue achieving great results.” The DSWT is acutely aware that the next generation must learn to conserve and protect to sustain and increase the decimating population of elephants that number in Africa less than 400,000 today down from 1.6 million 30 years ago.

Poaching of elephants for ivory must stop. There are several ways to contribute to the march and to the victims of poaching:

• ·         Attend the International March for Elephants on October 4, 2013 (volunteer opportunities are available).
• ·         Foster an orphaned elephant or animal or support a local school by visiting www.dswt.org.
• ·         Sign, recruit, and share the petition to stop the ivory trade at: http://www.iworry.org/get-involved/#.UgeqGfso7VI.
• ·         Purchase a bumper sticker or t-shirt to start a conversation via www.iWorry.org.
• ·         Visit a local school to talk about the importance of the elephant species, create an art or science project, classroom sponsor an orphan for the school year, or raise funds for the DSWT.
• ·         Organize a fundraiser. In the US, you can contact the US Friends of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust at: https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/html/help_USA.html.
• ·         Post and share links on any social media site like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and in blogs to raise awareness of the plight of our elephants.

You can be a part of the energy. Join the International March for Elephants and support this worldwide collaboration. Go to iworry.org for more information. Elephants are an umbrella species, providing habitat and nourishment for other animals, living in harmony with nature and each other, celebrating life, love, and family. We must take a lesson in respect from a species that is more than just a trinket. We must be their voice; one voice on this day and every day until elephants can once again roam freely in their natural habitat where they are respected, safe, and where elephant calves no longer cry for their mothers dying in front of them, every fifteen minutes of every day. March for Elephants on October 4, 2013 in a city near you or create a March in your town.

Boots on the Ground for Elephants: An Ivory Belongs to Elephants Story

The fight to save our remaining elephants has come to the US. Just days before 1 ton of ivory was seized in New York (story below), Jim Justus Nyamu arrived in the US from his home in Kenya to walk with volunteers 560 miles from Massachusetts to Washington DC, finishing his lecture and educational tour at the International March for Elephants on October 4, 2013 in DC. He is proof that boots on the ground, hard work, and dedication starts with a single voice that is growing into song.

Not only is Jim speaking at several colleges and events in his Ivory Belongs to Elephants campaign. he even set up shop at a local market in Pennsylvania to educate shoppers about the critical need to save our wild elephants that are being poached to extinction.  

Jim is co-founder of the Elephant Neighbours Center  located in Kenya. Through his vast knowledge and experience in the field, he has a 15-year history of educating the public, students, and top officials on the world stage about conservation and what he believes is the true fuel behind the poaching fire. Jim told me that poaching pays a high wage for the residents in impoverished communities in countries across Africa. He explained that these communities need education and funds to learn about and work in the conservation industry, a sorely needed effort on the continent of Africa. It would seem as if the people who live with the elephants would view them as majestic beings and know exactly how and why elephants need protection. Not the case, says Jim. A global effort is required to stop elephants from becoming extinct in as little as 10 years.

As important, Jim indicated that elephants can be destructive to crops. Human-elephant conflict has been a problem without a solid solution for centuries. Jim teaches about ways to improve relations between farmers and the herds of elephants that also enjoy the fruits of human labor. He proposes solutions and teaches the masses the truth, the demand for action, and the hope that the safety and security of the elephants are secured.

Jim Nyamu calls Americans into action through his campaign that spans an entire month from September 3- October 4, 2013. He has quite the task in forming public opinion. We Americans are so far away from the elephant crisis that we easily forget that their ancestors roamed our lands and been on this earth for 50 million years.

Join this leader, grass roots educator, representative of the elephants through a contribution, fundraiser, your own walk, or on his walk by visiting: http://ivorybelongstoelephantswalk.com/. Visit the Facebook Page. For media inquiries contact: jenpoetess@aol.com or Jim Nyamu directly.