Actor Kristin Davis discovered an orphaned elephant on safari and it changed her life. She says the illegal ivory trade is worth $17 billion worldwide — more valuable than gold — and some ugly characters are involved, like terrorists. It leaves a lot of elephant calves without moms. Davis is producer of “Gardeners of Eden” a look inside Kenya’s David Sheldick’s Wildlife Trust, which is trying to save wild elephants, one elephant at a time. They raise them then return them to the African bush. It premiers tonight (May 6) on Pivot TV at 9 pm. (Eastern). By all account it is an emotional educational experience. Elephants have roamed the earth for millions of years but unless the slaughter is stopped they could be gone in the wild in a generation. Hard to imagine that.
“I feel like it’s a tipping point,” said Davis, who is best known for the role of Charlotte York on “Sex and the City.” Poachers, she said in a “takepart” interview “have no qualms about anything they’re doing. They’ve committed themselves to the dark side. And that’s why the rest of us have to stand up and say we actually care. We have to tell our lawmakers we care.”
Absolutely. My own experience with elephants in Africa convinces me we can’t let the intelligent, gentle giants disappear in the wild. They’re worth whatever it takes to save them. Elephants in small zoo confinements is just no substitute.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.