Elephant crises worldwide have recently caught the attention of American citizens, encouraging them to stand up against animal cruelty using donations and media awareness. Celebrity models like Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid, for example, have teamed up with Knot on my Planet, a campaign in support of elephant protection, to bring awareness to a major problem concerning the environment and animal rights: the slaughter of elephants for the ivory trade.

Killing elephants primarily occurs among Asian countries in order to illegally sell the tusks to make money and gain prestige. As a result of this desire for wealth, "Africa's elephants could disappear from much of the wild within a generation," according to the Wildlife Conservation Network. Furthermore, approximately one elephant is killed every 15 minutes- and 33,000 are killed each year- solely for the ivory trade. The Chinese, determined to receive a profit, play a large part in the destruction of Central African forests for the ivory trade. Those behind it all likely also belong to groups of smugglers in the area, illegally selling both drugs and tusks to foreigners.

Organizations such as Save the Elephants, in addition to zoos like the San Diego Zoo, actively raise awareness about elephant poaching by addressing the issue with "a diverse coalition of effective leaders, NGOs, institutions, media, scientists, and governments" who can create some serious change. They also work to spread awareness to the public through popular and influential figures like Leonardo DiCaprio and Karlie Kloss, as well as campaign pages that accept donations. Anyone unable to make donations can go to the Craigslist website, where a fair amount of illegal ivory trade takes place, and flag any ivory products.

The increase in economic wealth throughout Asia occurs at the expense of thousands of elephants each year. The decreasing elephant population in Africa has adversely affected the continent by removing an animal that not only adds diversity to ecosystems which have existed for years but also play a large part in African culture. The elephant has been a part of the African landscape for tens of thousands of years, and its cultural significance is being compromised.

If you would like to donate to the Elephant Crises Fund, click here: Elephant Crises Fund.

These are some more resources on elephant protection: Save the Elephants and Wildlife Conservation Network.

“The Elephant Crisis Fund is a game-changer and my foundation is pleased to support it. The ECF is also changing environmental philanthropy by eliminating bureaucracy and overhead and making sure funding can reach the very best elephant conservation projects.”
—Leonardo DiCaprio