In a study posted in 2022, it was found that trophy hunters killed one animal every THREE minutes over the last decade (1):
· Included in the 1.7 million animals killed in the last decade, were elephants, lions, and rhinos which are part of CITES-protected species.
· Nearly 800 hunters won the ‘African Big 5’ prize for killing at least one elephant, lion, leopard, black or white rhino, and buffalo.
· Safari Club International awards a special prize to anyone who shoots more than 80 different African species.
According to Our World In Data, over the last 100,000 years, the human population has increased significantly but wildlife populations have decreased by 85% and if you look at the graph, currently wildlife makes up only 4% of the world’s biomass (2).
Since the 1970’s, monitored wildlife populations on average have decreased by 69% (3). These are sobering facts that cannot be denied.
As an example, at the beginning of the 20th century, the elephant population was approximately 10 million. Currently, their global population is approximately 415,000. The African forest elephant is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN's Red List and the African savannah elephant is listed as endangered because their populations have plummeted so drastically.
These numbers are not made up, they are not arbitrary, and this is real evidence that the wildlife population is disappearing. As many scientists agree, we have already crossed the threshold and are in Earth’s sixth mass extinction crisis where by 2050, 30-50% of Earth’s species will be extinct.
The clock is ticking and the wildlife needs our support. Your voice is critical to ensure their future is viable. Please give your support to innocent wildlife and sign and share this petition with others.
With gratitude,
Nicole @Wild For Change
Resources:
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Eduardo, Goncalves. One Animal Killed Every Three Minutes: Trophy Hunting is out of Control!. Bantrophyhunting.org. June 6, 2022. https://bantrophyhunting.org/one-animal-killed-every-three-minutes-trophy-hunting-is-out-of-control
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Ritchie, Hannah. December 15, 2022. Wild mammals make up only a few percent of the world’s mammals. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammals-birds-biomass
- World Wildlife Fund. 2022. Living Planet Report. https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/