Tom Hardy has spoken out against the elephant posting industry in Botswana by sharing scientific research which reveals catastrophic damage to the species.
The UK actor posted on his Instagram page to draw the attention of millions of fans to a study by Elephants Without Borders.
The study, named Evidence of a Growing Elephant Poaching Problem in Botswana, reveals that in northern Botswana, fresh elephant carcasses increased by 593% from 2014 to 2018.
It also estimates that a minimum of 385 elephants were poached in Botswana in 2017–2018.
Hardy shared the words of the study’s author, Mike Chase, who wrote: “To everyone who has supported our work, believed in our integrity and never once doubted our survey, I thank you all.
“For those who did not, hopefully, the peer-reviewed science here will enlighten and educate. As the great Maya Angelou said, ‘we are only as blind as we want to be’.”
The study also discovered fresh elephant carcasses clustered in five hotspots where elephants have declined.
In 2018, researchers confirmed 156 elephants were poached for ivory based on damage to skulls.
“Botswana holds roughly one-third of Africa’s remaining savannah elephants and will play a key role in the future conservation of this species,” the study explains.
“To date, Botswana has been one of the safest countries for elephants, with little poaching reported. Here, we present evidence of a new outbreak of elephant poaching for ivory in northern Botswana.”
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