Elephants, the world’s greatest natural leaders, have once again come under threat in the wild. Their ivory tusks are the reason so many elephants have lost their lives, and poachers continue to kill these glorious creatures purely for profit.
Despite a ban on international trade in ivory in 1989, the estimated number of elephants killed for their tusks in 2011 was a staggering 25,000. The number for 2012 is expected to be significantly more. If this trend continues, we can expect wild elephants to be wiped out in as little as fifteen years.
What the poachers fail to realise, however, is that these elephants are worth far more to us alive than dead. Elephants are born leaders, who naturally thrive in their environment because they make decisions based on the well-being of the whole herd. They care for one another, and they are experts in safety.
We can learn so much from them and their amazing attitude to safety. Lattitude’s training film ‘Giants of Leadership – The Nature of Safety’ highlights the intelligent and compassionate thinking that keeps these animals safe from harm in the wild. Beautifully filmed in Kenya, Botswana and Namibia, this film is one proven to change safety culture and was even awarded First Prize at the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work.
If you would like to learn more about how you can help, please see Save the Elephants, and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.