Taking elephant hunters to tusk over ivory atrocities

Bill Heaney photographing a herd of elephants in a national park in Kenya.

March 11, 2018 – Elephants have always been close to the hearts of the people of West Dunbartonshire.

Local people, used to seeing the elephant on various local coats of arms, have signed Kathleen Martin’s petition to stop Donald Trump, lifting a ban that blocks people in the U.S. importing ivory and elephant tusks gained by trophy hunting in Africa.

Kathleen said: “I have been to Africa and have seen first-hand the impact of hunting elephants for ivory. Dead elephant carcasses left to rot with only the tusks taken is a sight no one should have to endure.”

She thought her campaign had won – until this week, when it was announced that the Trump administration had broken its promise to keep the African elephant trophy hunt ban in place.

To get the government to keep the ban in place, she is urgently calling on people in West Dunbartonshire and Argyll to sign her petition.

Kathleen said: “We need to ban elephant ivory and tusks from being imported into the U.S. The Trump administration wants to start issuing permits for elephant trophy hunting.

“I have been to Africa and have seen first-hand the impact of hunting elephants for ivory.  Dead elephant carcasses left to rot with only the tusks taken is a sight no one should have to endure. This is a gross waste of life and resources for the environment and community. I cannot stand silent as this change is made.

“Elephants are a majestic animal and are a protected species.  To condone killing this animal for sport and importing the ivory and tusks into the US is a legacy I would prefer we not leave. 

“Please help me in sending a message through Change.org that we will not sit idly by as these decisions are made.

“We will be proactive and use our voices to make it known we do not condone this and do not want a reversal of a ban that was put in place to protect this species.”

END