Perreault Magazine - 33 -
WITH CHINA BIG IN AFRICA NOW WE ARE SEEING AFRICA’S RESOURCES BEING UTILISED IN ALL MANNER OF WAYS – AND IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT VERY OFTEN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE WILD ANIMALS THAT RELY ON THOSE HABITATS ARE BEING COMPROMISED. TOURISM AND THE REVENUE IT GENERATES IS NOT THE NUMBER ONE GENERATOR OF FOREIGN INCOME IN KENYA ANY LONGER, SO DOES NOT GENERATE THE POLICTICAL IMPORTANCE IT SHOULD.
OF COURSE THERE ARE MANY KENYANS WHO CARE ENORMOUSLY ABOUT THEIR WILDLIFE AND WHO WORK EXTREMELY HARD RISKING THEIR LIVES IN THE FIGHT TO SAVE OUR WILDLIFE, BUT THERE IS NO QUESTION MORE CAN AND SHOULD BE DONE AT ALL LEVELS. THE KEY IS WITH CHINA HOWEVER, IF A GOLOBAL BAN ON IVORY WAS IMPLEMENTED, WITH CHINA BANNING THEIR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL IVORY SALES, WE WOULD SEE AN END TO POACHING IN AFRICA. IT IS QUITE SIMPLY THE DEMAND ALONE THAT DRIVES THE TRADE.
BP:
AS: I HAVE ALWAYS PAINTED FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, AND STUDIED ART AT UNIVERSITY. I LOVE TO PAINT BUT SADLY DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME TO DO SO THESE DAYS AS RUNNING THE TRUST IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING. I WORK WITH MANY MEDIUMS BUT I DO LOVE WATERCOLOURS, AND OF COURSE GROWING UP WITH ELEPHANTS MAKES THEM THE OBVIOUS CHOICE OF SUBJECT MATTER. I DO SELL MY WATERCOLOURS WITH PROCEEDS GOING TO THE TRUST, THESE CAN BE BOUGHT ONLINE THROUGH THE TRUST WEBSITE ART STORE OR BY CONTACTING ME DIRECTLY.
One elephant is killed every 15 minutes. At this rate none will be Roaming WILD in 2025.