In a bid to raise international awareness and add to the the weight of pressure on Thailand to instigate a full ban on ivory, Leonardo DiCaprio has backed an international campaign to petition the Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. With a 500,000+ petition already handed to the Prime Minister from WWF DiCaprio has put his name to another petition with international campaign organisation, Avaaz, to build even more clout for the bid.
The campaigns come in advance of Thailand playing host to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) between the 3rd and 14th March 2013 in Bangkok. With the Prime Minister apparently reviewing the country’s policies on ivory trade, there’s a real chance of pulling off a win, so if you want to sign the petition, visit Avaaz.
Thailand is widely reputed to be a significant contributor to the ivory trade, which sees thousands of tusks converted into objects and artefacts to be trafficked and sold in Asia every year. A Thai ban on ivory trade would be a significant move in securing greater numbers of African elephants from the clutches of poachers linked to the trade of ivory in Asia.
According to the WWF-Thailand Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign leader, Janpai Ongsiriwittaya, “Perhaps as few as only 2,500 wild elephants are left in Thailand. That’s as many elephants as were wiped out each month in Africa in 2012 to fuel demand for ivory trinkets.”
If the ban comes into force and the right policies are adopted to back it up, WWF estimate that as many as 30,000 wild African elephants could be saved every single year. The situation originates from smugglers exploiting a legal loophole in Thailand that allows the sale of ivory from native Thai elephants, which is mixed with illegal African ivory to pull off the laundering job.
The aim of the campaign is to get 750,000 petitions signed to add to the WWF pressure already delivered and with the last look chocking up a massive 669,000 it should just hit in time for the start of the convention. Hopefully, the petitions are successful and the savage trade can be reduced significantly.
