Please Do Not Tap On the Glass

I’m not sure where to start, really. Here’s what you’ll find in this post: Elephants poached in DR Congo for their tusks so that rebel militias can trade them to UN Peacekeepers for weapons; the WaPo finally makes the connection, tenuously, between factory farming and global warming pollution; rangers in Kenya and DR Congo are shot and beaten for trying desperately to save their wildlife and ecosystems; a judge in California orders the Interior Department to make a decision by May 15 about listing polar bears as an endangered species; Defenders of Wildlife files suit in Montana to stop the killing of wolves in Greater Yellowstone.

Elephant Poaching The U.K. Herald Tribune reports that BBC News has new allegations of Pakistani and Indian Peacekeepers gave weapons to militias in east Congo, in return for gold and ivory. “The BBC first made similar allegations more than a year ago, and the U.N. launched investigations into charges that its troops were involved. The body said that while it found some evidence of smuggling involving peacekeepers, it had no proof of exchanges involving arms.

“A U.N. spokesman in Congo said Monday that the BBC report did not appear to raise new allegations, repeating that investigations into charges against the Pakistani peacekeepers failed to find “irrefutable proof” of weapons or munitions transfers.”

The BBC claims it has new witnesses “who backed claims of U.N.-militia arms trades in the mining town of Mongbwalu and said weapons were given to militias there to guard the perimeters of gold mines and to secure the region.”

Now, the Ending Charcoal blog on Wildlife Direct reports that 14 elephants and two hippos have been killed in Virunga, DR Congo. These elephants were killed mostly villagers hired by corrupt FARDC officers (FARDC is the government army in DR Congo); and PARECO, technically the Mai-Mai. The elephants were all killed in a two-week period and their tusks sold for $50/kg. Yeah, that’s all the life of an endangered elephant is worth when human animals turn to poaching to fund their wars. The villagers were caught because they shot an elephant just meters from a FARDC army post in the park. They were arrested and will hopefully stand trial for poaching.

What can you do? NEVER EVER buy ivory. It’s illegal to import ivory in the U.S. but we are the second largest importer of illegal ivory in the world, according to Wildlife Alliance. You can also support the work of the conservationists in DR Congo by donating to any of the elephant-related blogs on Wildlife Direct. You can contact the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUC) and demand a full investigation into allegations of Peacekeepers accepting gold and ivory in return for weapons.

Factory farming and global warming pollution made the front page of the Washington Post on April 30. That’s good but they’re a couple of years late on this story. The U.N.’s report, “Livestock’s Long Shadow” was released in 2006 and covers the same ground as the new Pew Internet report cited in the story. As Karen Dawn always suggests, this is a good opportunity to write to the Post and thank them for running the story and extoll the virtues of a vegan lifestyle. They accept letters at letters@washingtonpost.com and you must include your full name and address.

The Gorilla Protection blog and the Mara Triangle blog on Wildlife Direct both recently reported violence against park rangers.

Diddy and Innocent report on Gorilla Protection that three rangers were beaten by FARDC soldiers, who are involved in the illegal charcoal trade. The charcoal is made by cutting down trees in Virunga National Park and is sold in towns and villages for cooking fuel. It is, of course, an illegal operation and there is a healthy “charcoal mafia” who will stop at nothing, including murdering endangered mountain gorillas and beating up park rangers. The ICCN rangers have been unable to see the gorillas or protect them since the recent war broke out last September. They have turned their efforts to stopping the charcoal trade and it’s dangerous work.

A ranger in Kenya’s Mara Conservancy was shot twice by cattle rustlers. The cattle are kept by the Maasai people and the rangers protect the wildlife and the people who live in the Conservancy. Ranger Johnson Leyian was shot in both legs during an hour-long gun battle between rangers and the rustlers. He was taken to the hospital in Nairobi where he needed four pints of blood.

Kenya is still suffering the effects of post-election violence that began in December. The Mara Conservancy depends on tourism to fund their anti-poaching operations and to compensate the Maasai for any livestock lost from lion attacks. All of these programs are barely running and poaching and cattle rustling are on the rise, with the poachers getting bolder because they know the rangers are at minimal staff. They can’t even afford to keep the electricity on for 24 hours a day, which makes communications between the base and rangers in the field impossible.

You can help by donating to the Mara Conservancy. Please read their Urgent Appeal page to learn more about the situation for wildlife in Kenya and please donate.

A decision on whether or not to list polar bears as Endangered Species will be made in two weeks, thanks to a California ruling.

“A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to stop dragging its feet on the fate of polar bears and decide by May 15 whether declining sea ice in the Arctic threatens their existence. The ruling marks a victory for a coalition of environmentalists—the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)—which sued to force the U.S. Department of the Interior to decide whether to protect the hoary Arctic predators under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which it had committed to do by January 9.

“U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, Calif., ruled that any further delay would be a violation of the intent of the ESA.”

You can help! Visit the Defenders of Wildlife Action Alert and urge Bush to add polar bears to the Endangered Species list. DO IT NOW.

On April 28, Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife and 11 other conservation groups filed a lawsuit in federal court and asked for an emergency injunction to stop the slaughter of Greater Yellowstone’s wolves and restore some common sense to wolf management in the Northern Rockies.

“The case, Defenders of Wildlife vs. Hall, is our second legal challenge since January aimed at preserving one of the greatest conservation victories in the last century — the return of wolves to the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone.

“These legal efforts wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support of caring supporters like you who have made more than 8,000 individual contributions to help support our work over the last weeks and months.

“But our fight isn’t limited to the courts. Since the Bush Administration ended protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, at least fourteen wolves have been killed in Wyoming — the most of any state in the region.”

You can help. Call the Wyoming Governor’s Office at (307) 777-7434 and deliver this message:
“My name is [your name] and I’m calling from [your state] because I’m deeply concerned about the widely reported killing of wolves in your state and urge your office to help ensure a lasting future for wolves in Wyoming by …

• Ending the shoot-on-sight policy that is now in effect in 88 percent of the state.
• Releasing a public statement urging restraint in wolf management
• Providing a full account of the number of wolves killed in Wyoming.

The return of wolves to the Northern Rockies was an amazing conservation achievement, but inadequate state protections for wolves in Wyoming and lax reporting of wolf kills are hurting Wyoming’s image and threatening an achievement that should be a point of pride for the state.”

“Please remember to be civil on your call. Comments that are overly emotional or threatening can be disregarded by officials (or worse, used to undermine our efforts to save wolves).

Phone calls will be most effective, but you can also e-mail Governor Freudenthal through his Web site.“

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