Thanks to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for permission to republish this piece by Jason Bell-Leask, Country Director for the IFAW in South Africa, on the unraveling of the international ivory-trade ban and the growth of illegal trading since 1997.

This month is the 20th anniversary of the start of the global ivory trade ban. In 1989, the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) gave elephants the highest level of protection, which effectively banned the international trade in ivory. This action was taken in response to the alarming slaughter of elephants in Africa in the 1980s, when ivory poaching slashed the continent’s population from more than 1.2 million to about 450,000 in just 10 years.

The anniversary of the ban is not, however, the happy occasion it should be because numerous actions over the past 12 years have undermined its integrity. […]

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Advocacy for Animals is pleased this week to publish this article by M. David Feld, who is cofounder and National Program Director of GeesePeace, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to devising nonlethal and environmentally sound solutions to problems created by the presence of geese and other wildlife in human communities.

From Awe

Loyalty, fidelity, cooperation, heroism, and sacrifice: the mother goose and gander mate for life. They will never abandon their goslings, even under intense pressure and threats to their lives. If the parent geese do fly off, it is only a strategic ploy to allow the goslings to escape by taking advantage of their speed, agility, and ability to hide in small places. The parent geese always return. […]

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Advocacy for Animals is pleased this week (October 19-23, 2009) to feature the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Each day we are publishing an article on a different sanctuary that has achieved GFAS verification or accreditation. The GFAS was formed in 2007 by nationally and globally recognized leaders in the animal protection field for the sole purpose of strengthening and supporting the work of animal sanctuaries in the United States and abroad. GFAS has created a rigorous accreditation process to identify rescue facilities/sanctuaries that are providing animals the highest standards of care and is the first animal sanctuary accrediting organization at an international level. GFAS also educates the public on the causes and conditions of displaced animals and solutions, and the compelling need to actively support accredited sanctuaries, through the Captive Wild Animal Protection Campaign.

For the last article in this series, we are featuring not a specific sanctuary, but rather another sanctuary alliance, which Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) is proud to salute: Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). […]

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Each week the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) sends to subscribers email alerts called “Take Action Thursday,” which tell them about actions they can take to help animals. NAVS is a national, not-for-profit educational organization incorporated in the State of Illinois. NAVS promotes greater compassion, respect and justice for animals through educational programs based on respected ethical and scientific theory and supported by extensive documentation of the cruelty and waste of vivisection. You can register to receive these action alerts and more at the NAVS Web site. This week’s “Take Action Thursday” focuses on efforts to ensure that hunters can hunt—on federal public lands.

Federal Legislation

Two separate bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate that would make it difficult to exclude hunters (and in one version recreational fishermen) from access to federal lands or to change the land use of federal property without considering the interests of hunters/fishermen. Both bills carry a presumption that hunting (and fishing in HR. 3749/S. 1770) is beneficial to the environment and conservation efforts. […]

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