28th September 2015
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
As the world turns and social media churns out the dirge of human activity all over the world, it becomes increasingly clear that most of the devastating situations on the planet share one underlying cause: Our refusal to love one another. Perhaps we outsmarted ourselves with the industrial revolution and new technology, which landed us at the top of our own “endangered species” list. As a result, it could be argued that the only way forward is to turn around and go the other way.
Call it what you will, but without millions of people being driven to vocalize their refusal to look the other way and not speak out loudly and clearly to defend the rights of our non-human companions — who share their journey with us — we would all be doomed. Fortunately, activists get the ball rolling and supporters chime in to declare a permanent moratorium that could simply be called: Stop the madness.
Pink Is The New Green
Some brilliant soul decided to take matters into their own hands and seeded an idea that is trending on social media right now: Dye the tusks of elephants pink. In the dream, the dye does not harm the pachyderm, cannot be washed off, and poachers move on because they can only sell the ivory if it is pure.
It appears that other animals, such as the rhinoceroses which are prized for their horns, could also benefit from the use of tusk-dye in an attempt to save their lives. In 2011, the Western black rhino was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, however a few individuals have been spotted since then.
In 2014, a Texas hunter won “the lottery” and bid $350,000 for a permit to hunt and kill one of the last remaining black rhinos in Namibia.
Illegal poaching for rhino horns in South Africa is staggering, with nearly 1,300 animals slaughtered last year. Today, there are only about 30,000 rhinos of any species left in the world.
Surprisingly, even Prince William has weighed in on the issue, telling the crowd at a recent fundraising event for the Tusk Trust, a UK-based conservation group of which he is a patron: “You’d have thought we learnt the lessons years ago in the great campaigns to ‘Save the Whale’ or ‘Save the Polar Bear’. But we haven’t. The elephant and rhino, among others, are going the same way and, unbelievably, will be extinct in the wild within a few decades, or less.”
Figures compiled by the South African Department of Environmental affairs show the dramatic escalation in poaching over recent years.
Further poaching data is available at Save The Rhino. Caution: the photos on the website are completely obscene and might make you cry.
If nothing else, the “pretty in pink fantasy” helps increase awareness about the plight of these animals. Nothing stops a bad situation like a bunch of people who are opposed to pain and suffering and want to replace it with a loving intention. Ask us.
Research published in the journal Marine Mammal Science reveals that Weddell seal pups possess the most adult-like brain of any mammal.
And while we are fantasizing about this method of combating rhino and elephant poaching – why not spray paint or tie dye the baby harp seals? This would spare us the grisly pictures that surface of these hapless, helpless babies that are clubbed to death by some brute for a few dollars, while their mothers, who are wailing in the distance, look on in horror.
Polar bears and killer whales are natural predators of harp seals in the Arctic, but hunters trample across the breeding grounds — the baby nursery — to kill thousands of seals every year for their pelts. Left to their own devices, harp seals can live for 30-35 years.
Hear Us Roar!
Recently the world was stung by the slaughter of Cecil the Lion — the brave heart of the African landscape — his royal majesty of the grasslands and one of the most beloved animal species anywhere.
The world made a deafening sound all over the net when Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who tried to kill the big cat with a bow and arrow (he-man stuff), botched the hunt so badly that he had to stalk poor Cecil for 40 hours to put an end to his needless suffering by shooting him in the head.
Cecil and his mate Jericho had a pride in the reserve he was lured out of, including six lionesses and several young cubs. With the death of Cecil, the future of the cubs are also at risk if the pride is taken over by another male lion.
When the world caught wind of this cruel situation, the hunter quickly became the hunted. As a result, Palmer saw the immediate near-destruction of his thriving business as he went into hiding for nearly two months. He has only just resurfaced because he needs to get back to work! It costs a lot of money to slaughter tame animals in the wild. Palmer shelled out $55,000 for the kill.
More recently, in October 2015 a German hunter paid nearly £40,000 (US$60,000) to shoot one of the largest elephants ever seen in Zimbabwe (estimated to be between 40 and 60 years old) after travelling to Zimbabwe for a 21-day “game” hunt that included elephants, leopards, lions, buffalo and rhinoceros.
In the last ten years elephant numbers have dropped by 62%. There are fewer than 500,000 on the African continent today and conservationists have warned that by the end of the next decade, they could be extinct.
Trophy hunting is about as low as you can go in the hearts of fair-minded people everywhere. Most of us don’t understand the attraction, because we have evolved. This isn’t to say we don’t squash the occasional bug or spider, or partake of animals that are slaughtered for food consumption, but I digress.
Make The Last Trumpet a Joyous Sound
Although animal populations are severely threatened, the ivory trade around the world is still a brisk business for the über rich, who use the results of their kills to make collectibles or chess pieces.
A mother elephant stands over her baby as it drinks from a pool of water.
Since 1979, elephant herds have shrunk by 50 percent due to unmonitored domestic ivory markets that fuel the illegal international trade. It is reported that as many as 35,000 elephants are killed each year in Africa. Not surprisingly, live elephants are worth far more as an attraction for tourists than an elephant that has been killed solely for its tusk.
Female elephants are only fertile for three days every 5 years and have the longest gestation of any animal on earth: 22 months, or 660 days. This means that a female can produce only one baby elephant every seven years.
The females stay together forever in a matriarchal society, with the oldest female in charge of a herd that numbers about 15 elephants. The bond between these gentle giants is so strong that we humans could learn a lot about commitment, respect, and family loyalty. The tribe is reliant on the matriarch’s wisdom and experience to guide them safely through their lives.
In the wild, male elephants stay with their mother until they are nearly grown, and then spend the rest of their lives as solitary roamers.
A 3-month old elephant calf tries to ‘wake’ its mother, killed by poachers for her tusks.
Elephants are known to greet each other with great love after years apart on the tundra. Baby elephants are also known to grieve deeply over the loss of their mothers, and will try to revive them for days. The babies will more than likely die without her love and guidance. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone, eh?
Thankfully there are many organizations working diligently to stave off the greedy slaughter of animals for profit and body parts. Save The Elephants, a non-profit organization focusing on research, education, grass-roots conservation, monitoring and protection of African elephant populations, is just one whistle stop we can visit to add our personal energy, voice, compassion, and money, if we so choose.
How To Stop The Madness
The only thing that has ever healed unloving situations in the world is love. Joining forces with others and applying the remedy where it is needed always works. Love never lets us down.
Love is the answer.
There seems to be an endless stream of sad stories everywhere. We work on one problem and a hundred more come to take its place. It is discouraging when the lack of love in the world grab all the headlines. This is an area where we could also turn around and go the other way — by insisting that the media shines a bigger spotlight on our successes through all the love action we witness here.
We can also choose to keep adding our own voice and energy so that one by one all problems will vanish as love shows up to heal every situation. This revelation enables us to remain calm and serene in the face of all seeming adversity, with the unifying understanding that Love is the Answer.
One Day Old Baby Elephant
Saba Douglas Hamilton, animal expert of Big Cat Diary fame, has a lucky break when she finds a one day old elephant calf. Video courtesy of BBC Animals.
Related reading:
Previous articles by Carmen Allgood:
- Rooftop Gardening – The World Is Finally Growing Up!
- Music Is Love
- Spiritual Stepping Stones For Profound And Lasting Change
- The Gravitational Pull Of Love
- Download Forgiveness/Upload Happiness
- When Science and Spirituality Collide
- Finding Perfect Love
- The ‘Missing Link’ – All Roads Lead To Love
- Why Relationships Bite The Dust … Or Not
- Marijuana On A Legal Roll Worldwide – But Still Singing The Reefer Blues
About the author:
Carmen Allgood unveils the mysteries of love, reveals the means to heal the mind and thus the body, and the simple steps available to all of us to live in constant joy. The author of the Beyond Diapers – How Not to Wallow in Your Own Poop, a beginner’s guide to inner peace, Carmen offers readers a modern day exploration of spiritual evolution, with a timely twist of pop-psychology for the masses who are starved for lasting peace of mind and true happiness.
As a radio DJ, Carmen was pioneering the field of support for independent musicians even before there was such a field. Today, she produces syndicated independent music radio shows on WorldWideWavez.com which has featured over 20,000 independent recording artists from around the world. Carmen graces her radio shows and podcasts with a trademark buttery smooth voice and the same inherently encouraging warmth you find in her writing. You can connect with Carmen at TheColoradoWave.com
How to Not Wallow In Your Own Poop
A book by author Carmen Allgood…
Based on a lifelong study of the energy of Love, Beyond Diapers: How to Not Wallow In Your Own Poop is a modern day exploration of our spiritual evolution, delivering a timely twist of pop psychology to a world starved for peace of mind and true happiness.
In this humorous and insightful ‘beginners guide’ to inner peace, Carmen reveals the surefire solution to healing ourselves, and the world, in a cut-to-the-chase simplicity designed to make you laugh your way from forgiveness to love.
Beyond Diapers: How Not to Wallow in Your Own Poop is available here on Amazon.
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