There has been an unprecedented increase in the illegal poaching of elephants and rhinos in Africa and parts of Indonesia. The elephant death rate from poaching throughout Africa is higher than the rate that led to the international ivory trade ban. Rhinos are being driven to extinction in large part by the demand for the unsubstantiated medical claims of rhino horn. If trends continue, there won't be any elephants or rhinos left in the wild.

We implore the United States government to provide aid and legal and technical assistance to African and Southeast Asian governments to pursue illegal poachers. We also call on the Obama administration to demand that our trade partners in China, Japan, the Philippines and elsewhere vigorously and unambiguously enforce the ban on ivory, enforce all laws protecting rhinos, as well as step up enforcement in the U.S.

For further reading:

        http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/27/bronze-art-sparks-debate-over-the-extinction-of-the-straight-tusked-elephant/  

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/12/19/africas-elephants-facing-extinction-says-jane-goodall/   http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/dec/16/jane-goodall-ivory-poaching-elephant#start-of-comments

  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/18/african-elephants-will-be-extinct.html  

http://phys.org/news/2012-12-south-sudan-elephants-extinction-experts.html

  http://en.avaaz.org/1252/south-sudans-elephants-face-extinction-in-next-5-years  

http://blog.tigerfriends.com/blog/tigers-3/tigers-elephants-being-driven-into-extinction  

http://www.defenders.org/elephant/basic-facts?gclid=CJaNtuqpxbQCFQmCQgodPjIAOw  

http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=priorities_wildlife_ESA_listing_milestone&gclid=CI_Ht4aqxbQCFeGDQgodYn0A5w  

http://www.pawsweb.org/meet_elephants.html?gclid=CMbw2ZKqxbQCFUjZQgod8gcA4A

http://www.savingrhinos.org/rhino-extinction-crisis.html

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2012/10/18/rhino-poaching-extinction-crisis/

http://bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_rhino.htm

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/poachers-trade-in-rhino-horn-is-pushing-species-into-decline-8364904.html