I don’t know what your thought process was when you walked into that Boot Barn and picked out a pair of elephant skin boots. Maybe you were drawn to the way the blue accents compliment your eyes. Or maybe you just wanted to be different from everyone else. To make a fashion statement.

You probably weren’t thinking about the 470,000 African Elephants that are just a few poachers away from becoming endangered. And I’m sure you didn’t know that the Asian Elephant is already critically endangered, with only about 40,000 left roaming the earth.

At least I hope you didn’t know, because only the most arrogant person could ignore those facts.

When you took those boots off the shelf, did you think about the way they got there? Did you imagine the creature that provided you those shoes trapped in a pit, terrified and completely separated from its herd because of one wrong step? Did you picture an innocent elephant calf with its hind legs stuck in a noose? Did you think about the poachers loaded with AK-47s annihilating entire herds so that you could match your shoes to your belt buckle? Of course you didn’t.

Because to you those boots are just boots. But to so many others those boots signify the loss of a cultural icon and important member of the ecosystem.

In Asia, the Hindu people worship elephants as the remover of obstacles, given to them by the gods. They spend 19 hours a day foraging the land, helping disperse germinating seeds and ensuring a future for the land and other species.

In Africa, the elephant plays an integral part in maintaining suitable habitats for other species. They are needed for their impact on fresh water, germination and forest cover. They signify strength, patience, wisdom, longevity and happiness. They are believed to bring good luck among the people and for Christians, they are a symbol of Christ trampling a serpent.

You only need them to complete your outfit.

Elephants have no animal predators; they are endangered because of people. People like you who can somehow ignore their importance and only see them for their profit value. Because of people who don’t view them as beautiful, peaceful, majestic creatures, but as a fashion statement.

If you really hate the idea of being like the others who settle for alligator or ostrich skin boots, if the extinction of an entire species isn’t as important to you as being unique, then fine. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life.

But let me ask you something: Is it going to be worth one day when the only chance your children have to see an elephant is by looking at the boots in your closet?