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Fourteen elephants were found dead in a Malaysian forest. They were apparently poisoned, with nearby palm oil plantations and logging concessions being the likely culprits, as both view elephants as “pests.” Almost everywhere, these majestic and sensitive animals are restricted to ever-decreasing pockets of land. We’ve taken away their habitats, and of course they are also poached brutally and violently, every single day. As aptly noted in a Guardian article: “As the human population booms, so does demand for space. Poaching conveniently removes elephants from the land, leaving it open to development. This is a pattern seen across western Africa, where elephant declines have been most precipitous. By 2050, 63% of remaining elephant rangelands will be compromised by human encroachment.” This planet does not solely belong to the human species. Why must we grow and grow, for no good reason but the sake of growth, while all other animals pay the ultimate price? Our sheer numbers are pushing species to extinction. Of course, the fact that most people consume animal foods, which are insanely land and resource intensive, only makes matters worse. Please consider your impact on the planet and think about the other species with whom we share. At a minimum, please familiarize yourself with these issues, go vegan, support smaller family norms, be mindful of your overall consumption, and do whatever else you can to tread as lightly as possible on the planet. We are in a highly precarious inflection point in history, one in which our world, other animals, and future human generations urgently need us all to care and take action right now. |