Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Special report: Elephant poaching for ivory.




Photo by Jim McIntosh.

The poaching of Africa's elephants and rhino is escalating at an alarming rate. 624 rhino have been killed in South Africa to date this year, up from 488 last year. These figures show a massive increase since 2007 when 13 were killed.
The demand for ivory in Asia is insatiable. Charlie Warren has authorised my sharing of his report backgrounding elephant poaching. Sad to see these magnificent animals being killed for chopsticks, personal seals and ivory carving, especially when modern materials can be substituted.


AFRICA’S ELEPHANT & THEIR ALARMING RATE OF DECLINE DUE TO POACHING
(Thank you to those who helped with the info/articles on the Pachyderms and what they are currently facing due to Chinese fueled poaching)

Elephants are intelligent, social & affectionate animals that live in FAMILY herds and Mourn their dead… it is sad to see them staring silently at the remains of those family members who had died or been killed… poachers are known to lie in ambush waiting for those who they had not killed; to return to the poached elephant to pay their last respects and then open fire on them with automatic weapons and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG 7’s) of Russian and Chinese origin, this way they wipe the whole heard from day old babies to the most senior Matriarch….

DEMAND FOR THE ELEPHANT TUSK

The demand for Elephant Tusks has been created by China… and the Elephant population is being decimated at an alarming rate, tens of thousands of them being killed at an enormously alarming rate, China does not worry about Africa, it’s inhabitants and even less so their animal heritage… all they want to do is rape Africa of everything that they can make money on… Forests are being depleted all over Zimbabwe and Mozambique will wake up too late when the chinese leave … and they will because there will be nothing left there…

In Kinshasa (DRC), poached IVORY (and usually poached by that countries troops) is openly on sale in unregulated markets, these markets are patronized and encouraged heavily by chinese consumers of poached ivory, and another point of glaring alarm of this fueled poaching by China is the fact that 90% of ALL those arrested for elephant poaching at the Kenyan International Airport … ARE CHINESE!!!

In November 2012 5 tons of illegal elephant tusks were recovered when they were discovered at the port of entry in Hong Kong … to give you an idea of how many Elephant that were massacred for these tusks… use the following equation… 3.81 tons of elephant tusks is equivalent to 500 POACHED ELEPHANTS! These were shipped to Hong Kong under the guise of Sunflower seeds… a few days later another 3.8 tons of Elephant tusks were uncovered imported under the guise of PLASTIC SCRAP AND BEANS….
A week prior to the discovery of the 5 tons of tusks … 1000 Elephant tusks were intercepted en route to CHINA… this is another 500 Elephants that had been poached…

An estimated 50,000 Elephants were poached for their Tusks in 2011 alone… and in another incident in Manhattan, New York a ton of CARVED IVORY was seized by the law enforcement agencies there … and yes it had been sent from CHINA…

Just imagine the fear and total panic there was AMONG THE ELEPHANT HERDS, when Cameroonian poachers opened fire and killed 650 elephants in their OWN NATIONAL PARK…!!!! An absolute disgrace to humanity these people are and even more so by China that encourages this sadistic slaughter for their GREED…

And above all … the gestation period for an Elephant is 22 MONTHS (640 days) that is nearly TWO YEARS for them to produce a baby… they can NEVER recover from this slaughter and unscrupulous poaching for the EAST…

The Chinese sell these TUSKS/IVORY in China at the going rate of US$900.00 per Kilogam (2,2lb).


HOW THE ELEPHANTS ARE POACHED

This is done in an extremely macabre and sadistic way, it varies from country to country but the methods are extremely cruel and inhumane… in Mozambique (when they still had elephant herds) the poachers use to dig huge pits (holes) and then drive the elephant into them… then they would place large old trees and firewood on top of them and set fire to the wood and burn them to death, there was no way an elephant could get out of these holes, the fear, pain and agony for them is excruciating and indescribable… and now what they do … they chase OUR South African Elephant herds into Mozambique where our govt in their absolute “wisdom” tore down the fence along the Mozambique border and called it the Trans Frontier Park… Our Rhino are also being poached this way … there is much to say about this … you ask why don’t we send our troops to stop the poachers (of both Elephant and Rhino)… that I am afraid can only be answered by the Dept Of Environmental Affairs … but all you will get is the deafening silence from them and the rest of the SA govt…

In Southern Chad & North Cameroon they use Automatic rifles and Machine guns; such as the AK 47 and the RPD, AND OF COURSE SATTELLITE PHONES …supplied one way or the other by China… in one instance they went on a killing frenzy there and killed over 650 Elephants, every animal in every herd… by the way …they also used RPG7’s (Rocket Propelled Grenades… and hacked the Tusks out of their heads while they were dying an agonizing death…) where did this happen… IT HAPPENED IN THEIR NATIONAL PARK!!!

The Congolese Military are the worst culprits in the Elephant poaching, followed close behind by Uganda, South Sudan and Cameroon… they are basically all involved one way or another… very few of them stay out of the poaching because of their weak and corrupt govts… and incidentally… the pre independence SADF were also involved in the poaching of 1000’s of Elephant and Rhino in Angola for the horn and Tusks… read more of these mind blowing facts in the book “KILLING FOR PROFIT” by Julian Rademeyer.

GENERAL

In the rest of AFRICA we are losing between 80 -100 elephants daily due to poaching of these majestic animals, Mozambique cannot be included here as they have killed off ALL their Elephant Rhino and most other Wildlife… and whatever was poached was sold off to the Chinese… so it is my guess that when they have stripped the forests of Mozambique and all their ocean fish… it will be a kick in the arse for them (Mozambique) and the chinese will move onto the next country to rape and pillage… which one you ask… YEP… YOU GUESSED IT… SOUTH AFRICA!!!

Immigration have already admitted that they cannot cope in South Africa with the major influx of Chinese… I heard this with my own ears in court at one poaching trial…

Officials in the “know” have claimed that is no major problem with elephant poaching… hmmm … I think they forgot to add …YET…! Anyone with the tiniest iota of logic, will see that this is going to become a MAJOR problem in the not too distant future… especially when the rest of Africa’s elephant have been decimated to extinction… AND THE Chinese then look South… to our country… SOUTH AFRICA!

Kruger Park have already made illusions (on the quiet) to the threat of Elephant poaching on the horizon… my question is why is this NOT being made public… we know that elephant are already being poached there…

Tom Milliken (Leader of the Elephant &Rhino Program) TRAFFIC; has stated that the African Elephant are facing the most serious crises since international commercial trade in Ivory was prohibited under CITES IN 1989!

Other experts say that poaching is due to the presence of organized crime primarily led by Asian crime syndicates… many of us KNOW THIS IS THE PROBLEM… !
But what is this govt doing about it and what have they done about the severe Rhino poaching problem?

Countries to the North of us are using honest soldiers in support of their Game Rangers and Scouts… and this is making a small difference, but over there … they shoot poachers on site… not like here where poachers are treated with kid gloves, as well as their Asian masters…

If the South African govt does not wake up soon to what IS on the horizon for our Rhino, Elephant and the rest of our wildlife heritage…. South Africa’s tears for this destruction will be made of BLOOD....CW


A car covered with carved ivory. How many elephants died for this?


Picture courtesy SOS Elephants of Chad.


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Thursday, December 6, 2012

My home has become your deckchair.


This mother clings on to her baby as she surveys the destruction of her forest home, cleared for palm oil plantations and timber for export.


What's it like to enjoy the sunshine while you sit in your Kwila chair?
Do you ever see our faces reflected in your glass of chardonnay?
All the hungry and the homeless who are no longer here
in the freedom of our homeland.
Do you even care?

Have you ever seen my homeland of forest reaching clear?
Have you ever thought my home has now become your chair?
Your comforts steal my shelter
Your ignorance takes my life.
If you steal our wilderness we will not survive.
My child is going hungry, I cannot provide.
Will you look into our faces?
We are terrified
by the chainsaws and the bulldozers that destroy our life
while you enjoy reclining on your deck of Balau tree
Just chew another mouthful of palm oil-laden sweet
You're chewing up my homeland
we lie here in defeat.
Your hunger for your comforts creates such deep turmoil
The destruction of my homeland
all for your palm oil.

Have you ever seen my homeland of sunshine dappled vines?
How the trees soar way above and brush against blue skies?
If you could see my homeland you would wonder why
You chainsaw out its beating lungs
and you destroy our lives
Do you hate your concrete life so much you cannot abide
the beauty of my homeland is better than where you live?
Must my homeland be erased so you can believe and live your lie?
All the hungry and the homeless
who no longer are here
Have you ever thought my home has now become your chair?







Deforestation continues to cause the decimation of habitat for Orang utan throughout Indonesia. Now found only in remaining wilderness in Borneo and Sumatra, these primates are fast being pushed to extinction as world demand for palm oil soars. Huge areas of jungle are cleared for the expanding plantations. Timber of Kwila and Balau is logged, shipped to China where it is turned into cheap outdoor furniture for primarily Australian and New Zealand recreational use- outdoor tables and chairs, and decking. Timber products carrying a 'Sustainable sourced' certificate is of dubious origin. Much illegally logged timber is fraudulently re-certified as sustainably sourced and then channelled into legal markets.
Any purchase of Kwila or Balau timber products, or consuming foodstuffs containing palm oil fuels the destruction of rainforests and hastens the extinction of orang utans.

Check all product ingredients.  Buy timber from sustainable plantation forests, not of tropical origin.
Consuming these products is consuming their homelands.
Petition to sign-
The petition site.com help-stop-the-use-of-palm-oil/
and
The petition site takeaction
Pictures from-
slaughtering-primates-for-pest-control-at-palm-oil-plantation


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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Sparrow and the Rose: Edith Piaf.

Edith Piaf - 15 Dec 1915 - 11 Oct 1963.

Through my valley of faded youthfull memories, a song, played over our family's big old valve radio that took up half the frontroom, (as you called the best room in those days) still sings clear. It backdrops memories of ragged pants and barefoot childhood: falling from tall pine trees, roaming farm fields with my many brothers and sisters (the ones I wasn't fighting with at the time), a fox terrier and rusty pitchfork in hand tracking possums, walking the milk-cow 3 miles home, sister screaming her head off with big toe mangled in bike chain sprocket, being bullied at school and other images...all hung on to so desperately these days .
But vivid after so many years is this song. I loved that delicate, plaintive, lost soul voice that came from so far away but yet penetrated so deeply a young kid. I still love it.



The Sparrow and the Rose.

La Vie en Rose
the sparrow sang.

La Vie en Rose
and through the valley
the three bells rang.

From a Parisian street
on a cold winter's night
in a country ravaged by war
wings desperately beating as it took flight 
a little sparrow
would make our hearts soar.

La Vie en Rose
the sparrow sang
from the depths of an anguished soul.

La Vie en Rose
the little sparrow sang
in a voice so hauntingly sad.

La Vie en Rose
the bleeding sparrow sang
impaled on the thorns of life.





Edith Piaf - 15 Dec 1915 - 11 Oct 1963.

The Little Sparrow still sings in my valley.





The above poem, written by myself, was first published on Nov 3 2011 at John Reese's blog.
The French Way Blog: The Sparrow and the Rose.




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Monday, December 3, 2012

Tessa's Song. Dreams never die... lovers we miss.


Dreams never die... lovers we miss
they may have gone... but they never depart.
Ace of Spades trumps...any Queen of Hearts finessed
in life's cruel game...when that lone hand is played.

Pain will abate...anger deflame.
Time will abide...when He calls their name.
Their memories we enfold...deep down in our heart
for those quiet moments alone...when we reminisce.

Some hearts will sing...through eternity's rain
Others will break...caught in life's cruel twists
the stronger the love...the deeper the pain
Then in quiet moments alone...we reminisce.


They say it's better to have loved and lost
than never to have loved at all.
When a lover cannot remain
the void of sweet cruel pain
is filled time and time again
by the parting we've known...and the lover we miss.
And when we are alone...and we reminisce
then we'll come to see what is truly their gift...
the sweet cruel joy of parting...is for those truly blessed.

Dreams never die...lovers we miss
they may have gone... but they never depart.
Their memories we enfold...deep down in our heart
for those quiet moments alone...when we reminisce.

Dreams never die...
lovers we miss....

Photo "Thoughts" on Kapiti Island by Ian Trafford. 



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