Saving Wildlife that Needs Saving: Larry Wilson

November 7, 2014 — I recognized the tune, by Blur frontman Damon Albarn, as soon as old British Africa hand Tony Fitzjohn, OBE, put the music video of “Mr. Tembo” up on the screen in front of the assembled lower school of the Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena Thursday morning. Cute baby elephant from Fitzjohn’s Kisima Camp in Tanzania in the starring role. Cuteness set the girls oohing and ahhing and swaying back and forth with the song…

Read the entire Los Angeles Daily News article here.

 

9-2014   Blur frontman Damon Albarn’s YouTube video of our own ‘Mr. Tembo’
View the video on YouTube.

/by

Elephant ivory could be bankrolling terrorist groups

October 2, 2013 — Is it time for a war on poaching? When Hillary Clinton unveiled an $80 million plan last week to combat elephant poaching in Africa, she highlighted a new and worrying trend: money from wildlife crime may be helping to fund terrorist groups. These include the al-Shabaab group that attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya two weeks ago.

Read the entire article here.

/by

The Big Business of Conservation

October 1, 2013 — Wild things in Africa are under threat as never before. With exploding human populations, poorly managed development and criminal intrusion from afar, many fear that the continent’s most iconic animals may soon vanish from their natural habitat. The disappearance of lions, elephants and others would mean the crumbling of vital ecosystems—and the loss of billions of dollars in tourism revenue.

Read the entire article here. (PDF)

/by

Kenya burns five tonnes of ivory

July 20, 2011 — Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has ignited five tonnes of ivory stockpiled in the country since being seized in Singapore nearly a decade ago.

Using a long stick with a ball of fuel-doused cloth at the end, Mr Kibaki lit the tall pyre of 4.967 tonnes of elephant tusks smuggled from Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia and intercepted in Singapore in 2002.

Read the entire article here.

/by

Will and Kate heart African wildlife conservation

July 8, 2011 — The best chance to rub elbows with royalty this weekend is going to be through a group called Tusk Trust.

As Los Angeles braces for the Friday arrival of Prince William and Kate Middleton, details are emerging about the couple’s most intimate affair — a Sunday morning reception for the African wildlife conservation group.

William and Kate will mingle with a group of 45 long-time U.S. patrons of the charity. It’s the couple’s only private engagement during their weekend trip to Los Angeles.

Read the entire article here.

/by

Ivory black market threatens the elephant

May 23, 2010 — Carefully, the Chinese ivory dealer pulled out an elephant tusk cloaked in bubble wrap and hidden in a bag of flour. Its price: $17,000.

“Do you have any idea how many years I could get locked away in prison for having this?” said the dealer, a short man in his 40s, who gave his name as Chen.

A surge in demand for ivory in Asia is fuelling an illicit trade in elephant tusks, especially from Africa. Over the past eight years, the price of ivory has gone up from about $100 per kilogram ($100 per 2.2 pounds) to $1,800, creating a lucrative black market.

Read the entire article here.

/by

Conservationist Tony Fitzjohn: born to be wild

April 15, 2010 — When Tony Fitzjohn was hired by the conservationist George Adamson to replace his assistant, killed by a lion, he had found his calling. Four decades and one near-fatal mauling of his own later, Fitzjohn is the last of a dying breed. Read more

/by