Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Saturday, July 14, 2012
On July 12, 2012, two residence of Manhattan pleaded guilty to their involvement in offering for sale one ton of ivory artifacts worth $2,000,000 dollars. Yes, I spelled that out the long way. Two million dollars is a lot of zeros, because 2 million dollars is a lot of money, representing a lot of death. And when you visualize the way in which these artifacts came to exist...slaughter of hundreds of wild elephants, merciless killing of sentient beings, likely living in a caring family structure, which surely was destroyed in the process as well...then likely you will agree with the judge's sentiments about the event. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance stated "It is unacceptable that tusks from elephants wind up being sold as mass-produced jewelry and unremarkable decorative items in this city." The individuals who perpetrated this crime against nature were then fined $45,000.
I think it is great that these individuals were caught, and great they were prosecuted. Yeah U.S.! But I wonder about the fine. Clearly, these criminals don't care about world treasures, sentient beings, or cruel acts against nature. Nor do they care that their chosen livelihood is contributing not only to cruel deaths of individuals of a sentient species, but more importantly, to the death of that species. In view of these facts, the question arises: "Is this punishment equal to the crime"?
Consider...extinction is a fatal, permanent, never to be righted event. Add to this consideration that anyone who has the means to purchase 2 million dollars of ivory is not likely to be significantly impacted by a $45,000 fine. One can easily surmise that these criminals will get over this fine in their lifetime, if not immediately, and they will likely commit crimes again. In my opinion, if you are caught selling endangered species parts, the punishment should fit the crime. Your life should be ruined by your actions, and you should be stripped permanently of the kind of financial prowess that allows you to engage in crimes against nature in future. What do you think?
http://mediaforconservation.blogspot.com
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
ELEPHANTS COMING
In early 2011 we plan to begin our first web community conservation campaign. We will be asking for your media contributions, with a focus on issues related to elephant conservation. Please stay tuned to find out more about this exciting new initiative, which is designed to use YOUR media making talents to assist in saving elephants from extinction in the wild. Meanwhile visit these websites for information on the topic of elephant conservation.
www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
www.savetheelephants.org
www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
www.savetheelephants.org
MISSION STATEMENT:
MEDIA FOR CONSERVATION was founded on the conviction that audio-visual media are important tools in conservation. Our aim is to utilize film and new media to promote attitudes of respect toward other species, understanding of the value of biodiversity, and informed action to protect nature. Our mission is to educate, motivate, and activate people toward good earth stewardship.
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