How We Are Helping: June 2022

Giraffes in Africa to be relocated to safetyby Animal Survival International

Animal Survival International (ASI) exists to be a voice and a crusading force for animals and the planet. In June, we continued to fight the challenges facing wildlife around the world.

Each small act of kindness and generosity from our supporters is vital in allowing us to keep doing our work. Once again, your support shows in the work we have done this month.

Here’s how your donations are making a difference to animals worldwide right now.

Eastern Cape, South Africa

Saving giraffes from starvation and disease by relocating them to a new home

Saving giraffes from starvation and disease by relocating them to a new home

We told you about three adult giraffes living on a completely unsuitable piece of land in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Their living conditions are increasingly dire - tick-borne diseases and starvation are threatening their survival, and the death of two giraffe calves has already proven the desperate situation they are in.

We have a solution - carefully capture the giraffes and relocate them to a nearby reserve that boasts a thousand hectares of free-roaming land. The Royalston Wildlife Reserve is just 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the giraffes are now. There, they will receive immediate medical care, will have better access to food and, above all, more land to roam freely.

We asked for your support in helping us raise the $15,000 (£12,200) needed for our plan to be implemented. Unfortunately, we have not yet reached our goal, but we are half-way there! We have a limited window of time to save the giraffes. We MUST move them fast or they will most certainly die.

 

Important Update: Giraffe Relocation in South Africa

 

Limpopo, South Africa

Ensuring the survival of a tiny victim of the illegal wildlife trade

Ensuring the survival of a tiny pangolin victim of the illegal wildlife trade

Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammal and are constantly being poached from the wild. Our partner, the Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre in South Africa, has a team of wildlife specialists who have devoted their lives to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing vulnerable wildlife in desperate need of support.

Just a few weeks ago, they successfully infiltrated the sale of a juvenile Temminck’s pangolin. After being held captive by wildlife traffickers for over a week in a small metal barrel, the ground pangolin (later named Bean) was in terrible and weak condition. Emaciation, severe injury and a deep head wound all threatened Bean’s survival.

Umoya Khulula reached out to ASI for help in supporting Bean’s urgent life-saving treatment. Thanks to your generous donations, Bean has had the CT scans he required and is receiving 24-hour care. Every single pangolin we can rescue and rehabilitate is a small victory in the battle to save pangolins from extinction.

Umoya Khulula also urgently needed a generator to provide power to the animal clinic. Thanks to your support we were able to buy one that arrived in the nick of time as power outages continue to worsen in the region. Without this generator, many recovering animals would not have received their desperately needed care.

 

Mexico

Tackling the illegal wildlife trade for the survival of the world’s last vaquitas

Tackling the illegal wildlife trade for the survival of the world’s last vaquitas

Another species is on the brink of extinction because of human actions. This time, it is the most endangered marine mammal on the planet - the vaquita. These critically endangered porpoises are endemic to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, where the illegal use of gillnets has put them at dire risk of extinction.

Over the last decade, the vaquita population has plunged from 576 to less than 10 individuals. Unlawful totoaba fishing is to blame for the demise of this unique species. Once vaquitas become accidentally entangled in gillnets used by totoaba poachers, they are unable to surface for air and suffocate and drown within minutes.

Ending the unlawful totoaba trade may be the vaquitas' only hope for a future. We are working closely with Earth League International (ELI), an NGO that fights wildlife crime through undercover operations. Thanks to your donations, ASI will be able to continue to support ELI’s critical work. Together, we can intercept planned poaching activities before they commence and provide indisputable evidence to local authorities to encourage stricter enforcement to hopefully end illegal gillnet fishing. We will keep you updated on our work with ELI.

 

Madagascar

A fighting chance for a critically endangered indri lemur pair

A fighting chance for a critically endangered indri lemur pair

Madagascar’s lemur populations are under terrible and constant threat. As a result of their habitat being destroyed, Madagascar’s iconic lemur species, indris, are critically endangered and one of the 25 most endangered primates globally.

Indri lemurs are so endangered that the survival of even a single breeding pair could be critical. That is why L’Homme et L’Environnement, a French NGO, recently rescued a breeding pair from a forest that was destroyed by farmers and illegal loggers. The pair was relocated to a pristine forest, Vohimana Reserve, where guards protect the haven. By monitoring illegal activities and protecting the forest from slash-and-burn farming and illegal miners and loggers, these guards protect the species that call the reserve home.

Thanks to your support, ASI will now be able to help protect this indri breeding pair by ensuring the forest guards are equipped with essential tools such as GPS trackers and communication devices. We are also working with L’Homme et l’Environnement on a long-term goal of helping reverse the effects of deforestation within Madagascar.

 

From the News Desk:

At ASI, we are committed to making a difference to animals on the ground, and we also strive to stay abreast of the latest wildlife conservation news so we can keep you informed on the most important issues surrounding animals today.

 

11 Black Rhinos Poached in Namibia’s National Park11 Black Rhinos Poached in Namibia’s National Park

In June, 11 critically endangered black rhinos were illegally slaughtered and their horns removed in just two weeks. Their lifeless carcasses were discovered scattered across the Etosha National Park, said Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda. Read more...

 

 

Hundreds of Little Blue Penguins are Washing Up Dead in New Zealand

Gizmodo: Hundreds of Little Blue Penguins are Washing Up Dead in New Zealand Amid an Ocean Heatwave

On a peninsula toward the northernmost tip of New Zealand’s North Island lies Ninety Mile Beach. Usually, the expanse of sand and surf is a popular site for fishing, tourists and recreation. In recent weeks, however, the beach has become a site of tragedy. Read more...

 

Happy the Elephant is Not a Person, New York Court Rules

Happy the Elephant is Not a Person, New York Court Rules

Happy the elephant, a long-time resident of the Bronx Zoo, must remain there after a New York court ruled she is not legally a person under US law. Read more…

 

 

Namibia’s Wildlife Policy Slammed Over Recent Export of Elephants to the UAE

Namibia’s Wildlife Policy Slammed Over Recent Export of Elephants to the UAE

The recent export of 22 wild-caught elephants from Namibia to zoos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sparked outrage at the county’s flagrant disregard of international agreements and appalling cruelty to elephants. Read more...

 

 

Cruel Trade in Ivory to be Illegal as World-Leading Ban Takes Effect

Cruel Trade in Ivory to be Illegal as World-Leading Ban Takes Effect

The UK Ivory Act, which enforces a near total ban on the import, export and dealing of items containing elephant ivory, came into full effect on June 6. Read more...

 

 

Smuggling of Exotic Animals via India Escalates as Kangaroos Discovered in Bengal

Smuggling of Exotic Animals via India Escalates as Kangaroos Discovered in Bengal

India's anti-smuggling intelligence agency, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), says that the country has seen a rapid rise in the demand for exotic animals. Read more...

 

 

‘Bulldozing’ of Seabeds in the UK Continues, Despite Government “Efforts”

‘Bulldozing’ of Seabeds in the UK Continues, Despite Government “Efforts”

Environmental NGOs have criticized the UK government on its “unambitious,” plans to prevent bottom-trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs), with many insisting that banning commercial fishing would allow for better and faster protection. Read more...

 

 

Image credits: Image 2: Umoya Khulula; mage 3: NICKLIN MINDEN (WWF); image 4: Rhett A. Butler_ Mongabay; image 5: GalloImages_RexFeaturesAP; image 6: Andrea Geiss (Shutterstock); image 7: JackieMalloy Image 8: EMSFoundation_Facebook; image 9: TheGuardian_EPA_WuHong; image 10: BBC News | Bengal Safari Park

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