Éléphants cas

Dear Avaazers,

Every hour, poachers slaughter four elephants, then hack them apart for trinkets. For years they’ve got away with it, bribing police and judges to look the other way. But now wildlife crime busters are going after them -- the hunters are being hunted.

These courageous infiltrators are shutting down these brutal and shadowy businesses by going undercover on the inside. Evidence they gathered led to the arrest of 21 major wildlife traffickers in the last month alone, including the boss of a wildlife trafficking ring that spans four countries. But it’s incredibly dangerous work -- these organised criminals are ruthless, and the high risks mean most traditional funders won’t back these inside jobs, even though they may be the best chance we’ve got to save our planet’s endangered and majestic species.

That’s where we come in. Our community is built on the idea of crowdfunding whatever is the most effective strategy -- especially if no one else will. If we get behind these wildlife heroes, we can help them place experts in more gangs in more countries, work with police to catch them red-handed, drive massive public campaigns to ensure justice sets a precedent to deter other extinction traders, and kill their profits.

We may literally be the only movement that can take this brilliant idea and scale it before the last of our elephants, rhinos, and others are wiped out! Chip in to supercharge the undercover fight to save Africa’s precious species:

YES, I'LL DONATE $3

YES, I'LL DONATE $6

YES, I'LL DONATE $12

YES, I'LL DONATE $24

YES, I'LL DONATE $48

To donate another amount, click here.

Despite decades of conservation campaigns, the reality is that many national parks and wildlife laws only exist on paper. The 1989 ivory ban reduced the numbers of elephants being poached, but because of deep official corruption, the numbers rose again, as organised crime sniffed an opportunity for huge profits. A wide range of animals are at risk -- leopards are stripped of their skins, and baby chimpanzees stuffed into boxes for collectors. It’s disgusting!

Infiltrating criminal rings with brave people, hidden cameras, and recording equipment has already put over 1,000 major traffickers behind bars. And we're not just talking about small timers -- they’ve taken down big shots previously thought untouchable: heads of criminal syndicates, and their political, military and police allies.

It’s all been done on a shoestring budget, taking on an industry worth $19 billion a year powered by little more than serious bravery and a love of Africa’s great animals. Let’s supercharge the work of these wildlife warriors. Here’s what we could do if we raise enough:

Help train and pay dozens of undercover investigators to infiltrate the most wanted wildlife crime networks to gather evidence for prosecutions;

Help upgrade the wildlife heroes’ security to reduce the risk of reprisals;

Run massive campaigns around key moments like arrests and court appearances to ensure wildlife criminals feel the full force of the law;

Support them to investigate and publicly shame complicit officials and politicians that are part of the trade;

Campaign to stop sales of endangered wildlife products by governments and companies.

The West African black rhino was declared extinct just a few years ago, and many

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