Saving Elephants In Cameroon

Distributing t-shirts to raise awareness of the need to save elephants.

I have been catching up on a little National Geographic reading from 2012 and was alarmed at the scope of the problem of ivory smuggling. Because, you see, ivory is illegal to own in many countries. Ivory comes from elephants and those who engage in this illegal trade poach endangered elephants for nothing other than their tusks, from which the ivory comes. This poaching extends into protected areas, and claims as its victims magnificent male elephants, some even revered by the local population.

In 2012 alone, more than 400 elephants were killed for their tusks in just the single country of Cameroon. Many of the deaths occurred in Bouba Ndija Park, where elephants are protected. But that didn't stop the poachers, who crossed the border with Chad in order to make their killings. The numbers represent the highest number of elephants slaughtered in Cameroon in thirty years.



Into this situation stepped Banga E. Sadrack, a local animal activist, who started his advocacy by converting to veganism in 2007. He founded AVDA CAMEROON, an animal advocacy group based in Douala.

One of the issues in the protection of elephants is that many local residents around the park have actually assisted poachers in finding the elephants. They have their reasons, mainly because the elephants have trampled their crops, destroying their harvests and reducing their food supply. So, it was necessary for AVDA Cameroon to help the farmers address this issue. The group teamed up with WWF and IFAW to research solutions that would protect crops and not harm the elephants.

Another issue is that some Asian nations partly reopened the ivory trade, making some types of ivory legal. This issue was also noted by National Geographic. In essence when some types of ivory trade are declared to be legal, it creates a demand for the product and the end result becomes more elephants killed. Such countries as the Philippines and China are engaging in this trade, in the belief that it doesn't harm the elephants. But educating people about the harm can raise more opposition to killing elephants for tusks, something that has increased in many westernized countries and among African locals.

On the ground in Cameroon, this has meant mobilizing citizens peacefully to reject trading with those countries that have legalized the ivory trade. When they see the opposition of those countries in which elephants reside, the pressure is increased for those countries to ban the trade. Such special events as Earth Day are also utilized to educate those in other countries about how trading in ivory results in killing elephants.

Brochures used in saving elephants campaign.

Since 2012, AVDA Cameroon has also participated in other causes, including providing food for refugees from Central African Republic, protecting rhinos, and developing a farm sanctuary. For, in order to protect animals, a group does have to extend its reach.

Banga E. Sadrack

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/bagna-essobe-sadrack-noe-saving-elephants-saying-no-to-the-ivory-trade/; and the above link.

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