Five big tusker elephants were killed in Tanzania this year by trophy hunters.  These were older bull elephants from the Amboseli region of Kenya and had crossed over into Tanzania.  They were part of a 51-year Amboseli Elephant Research Project who held extensive valuable ecological knowledge that would be passed down to younger male elephants for their survival, guide the behavior of younger male elephants, and also continued to breed which was “critical to preserving the genetic pool that allowed for magnificently endowed males in the first place.” (1)  This study is the longest study of elephants in the world and now they have lost key elephants that were an integral part of this study. 

Joyce Poole, co-founder and co-director of the nonprofit ElephantVoices, said bulls older than 35 years are “keystones” for male society. “Just like in humans, you can’t just take out a leader in the society and think it doesn’t have repercussions.” (1)

Kenya has long had a ban on trophy hunting since 1977, but Tanzania continues to allow trophy hunting of wildlife.  However, there had been a “gentlemen’s agreement” that elephants from Amboseli who crossed over from Kenya to Tanzania would not become targets of trophy hunting because of the significant role they played in the Amboseli Elephant Research Project. 

To this point, Joyce Poole commented; “It seems so wrong to me that animals that move back and forth, freely across a border, should belong to anybody except themselves,” Poole said. “These are autonomous, conscious, self-aware animals who have names for one another.” (1)

After hunters killed the first of the five big tuskers, the incident drew the attention of other hunters who wanted trophies of their own.  The third big tusker was allegedly killed by an American trophy hunter.

The profound loss of these five key bull elephants signifies the loss of valuable knowledge.  The guidance and contribution these elephants provided cannot be replaced.  This could have significant and possibly unforeseeable consequences. Endangered and threatened wildlife are invaluable and it is our collective responsibility to advocate for the future of all endangered and threatened species.  Each signature on this petition serves as a voice for the preservation of these species worldwide.  Please sign and share this petition to ban trophy hunting of endangered and threatened species as our collective voices are stronger together. 

Photo courtesy of Clint Ralph, via https://www.naturettl.com/photographing-one-of-the-last-super-tuskers-of-africa

Resource:

1. Vyawahare, Malavika.  2024, July 22.  “Trophy hunting of Amboseli’s super-tuskers in Tanzania sparks outrage, calls for a ban.” Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2024/07/trophy-hunting-of-amboselis-super-tuskers-in-tanzania-sparks-outrage-calls-for-a-ban/#:~:text=Trophy%20hunters%20in%20Tanzania%20killed,Tanzania%2C%20which%20allows%20trophy%20hunting