- Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the 96 Elephants campaign, an anti-poaching initiative by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
- To show his support for the campaign, Schwarzenegger blew up an ivory tusk on camera.
- “Let’s get rid of the demand once and for all,” Schwarzenegger said in the video.
The terminator has joined the fight against ivory poaching. Former movie star and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger is now a part of the 96 Elephants campaign — an anti-poaching initiative by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
An average of 96 African elephants are killed every day, according to WCS. To protect Africa’s elephants, WCS launched its 96 Elephants campaign in September this year. The campaign focuses on “securing effective moratoria on sales of ivory; bolstering elephant protection; and educating the public about the link between ivory consumption and the elephant poaching crisis.”
To show his support for the campaign, Schwarzenegger blew up an ivory tusk — donated by 96 Elephants partner, Los Angeles Zoo — on camera.
“Stop killing 96 elephants everyday just because of this ivory,” Schwarzenegger said in the video before blowing up the tusk. “Let’s get rid of the demand once and for all.”
In June this year, conservation groups, including WCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, crushed more than a ton of ivory in New York’s Times Square to show intolerance for ivory poaching.
Schwarzenegger tweeted in support of the campaign.
https://twitter.com/schwarzenegger/status/611978162659028994
“Ivory poachers beware – The Terminator has now joined the herd of 96 Elephants supporters,” John F. Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Director of WCS’s 96 Elephants Campaign, said in a statement. “We are extremely grateful Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the 96 Elephants campaign, and we are hopeful that his global following of fans will become allies to stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand of ivory.”
This year eight countries — including the U.S., China, and Thailand — have destroyed more than 42 tons of illegal ivory to send a message against illegal wildlife trafficking. U.S. and China have also pledged to enact near complete bans on ivory trade in the countries.
