African Wild Life Foundation Discussion

synopsis

African Wildlife Foundation will show excerpts from the 2016 documentary film, “The Ivory Game,” and host a panel discussion about elephant conservation efforts on May 13 at the Hurleyville Arts Centre.

The screening and panel discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, May 13, at the Hurleyville Arts Centre, 219 Main St.

Great strides are being made to end ivory trafficking, including China’s recent announcement that it will shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017, but the fight against elephant poaching is far from over. Ivory is seen as “white gold,” and poachers have decimated the African elephant population by 97 percent in the last 100 years. If Africa’s remaining elephants disappear, the biodiversity of the continent’s forest and savanna ecosystems will collapse.

AWF’s Uganda-born president, Kaddu Sebunya, Kenya-born Vice President for Conservation Science Dr. Philip Muruthi, and Zimbabwe-born Director of Program Design Jimmiel Mandima will offer passionate, professional African perspectives on the elephant poaching crisis and will discuss strategies to ensure Africa’s elephants and other magnificent wildlife endure forever. The AWF leadership team will use excerpts from “The Ivory Game” to illustrate the horrific threats facing Earth’s largest land mammals. AWF Senior Vice President Craig Sholley will moderate the discussion.