A is for Apple

By: Anita Balletto Photos: Terra Mater Factual Studios/Anne Ackermann

Pick up any child’s book and I can almost guarantee you will find ‘E’ is for Elephant, but for how much longer? When will we reach the point when our children will no longer know what an Elephant looks like in its natural habitat when learning the alphabet? Could we be the generation that watches these gentle giants slip into extinction, and stands by as China and other countries, predominantly in the East, continue to fuel the demand for ivory or ‘white gold’? How much longer can we allow these magnificent animals to be massacred, with entire families of Elephants slaughtered, their faces hacked off in order to provide trinkets and keepsakes kept for bragging rights by this fickle market? As an African from the ‘Muzungu tribe’ and someone who has always been very passionate about conservation, I was delighted when I, and my film fixing company (A to Z Solutions) were approached by German based Richard Ladkani to assist them with logistics, permits and support for filming THE IVORY GAME right here in Zambia.

The intention was to be the ‘fly on the wall’, sharing with the audience the incredible work done on a dayto-day basis by the ‘fearless heroes fighting to save the last remaining elephants’. Here in Zambia we identified Georgina Kamanga - the head of the Intelligence unit for the then ZAWA – Zambian Wildlife Authority and now DNPW – Department of National Parks and Wildlife as the main contributor.

As a country Zambia is not immune to the current poaching epidemic, which has seen a significant increase over the past few years and is now run by sophisticated criminal syndicates, often with influential backers and substantial budgets. This is no longer about ‘petty’ shoot for the pot poaching. It is estimated that approximately 150,000 elephants have been poached in Africa in the last 5 years. The past 100 years have seen a staggering 97% decline in Africa’s elephant populations. At the current rate, it is estimated that an African Elephant is poached every 15 minutes, meaning within 10 years more than 50% of Africa’s remaining elephants could be killed, and the species extinct within our lifetime.

The documentary includes real-life footage from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Hong Kong, main land China, Vietnam and, of course, Zambia. Filming in Zambia was done over 4 visits in 2015, where Richard and his small team of 3 followed Georgina to Lower Zambezi and later donned flak jackets as they accompanied Georgina and her team on a ‘sting operation’, where they busted and arrested a number of dealers selling raw ivory right here in Lusaka.

I am delighted to report that since its release on Netflix at the end of last year, coupled with support from big names such as Leonardo Dicaprio (Executive Producer) and the renowned conservationist Jane Goodall, this hard hitting feature length documentary is taking the world by storm and In the meantime, in order to bring this documentary to Zambia, the team is currently working with the US Production Company where we are looking to have it translated into Chinyanja. The hope is that working with organizations such as the Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia (WECSZ) and their ‘Chongololo Club’, the documentary can be screened around the country and in schools. We will also focus on the communities within Game Management Areas surrounding our National Parks, as well as certain areas of Lusaka where the majority of Zambian ‘harvested’ ivory passes before leaving the country.

Let’s hope these combined efforts will help, however as so rightly put in this Documentary:

‘This is the turning point where humans are the problem and the solution – the fate of Elephants lies in our hands, where together WE are the Solution.’

proving to shake things up globally. Not only is it gaining momentum in educating the West on what is actually happening here on the ground, but the impact of the film is also making waves in the East, which is fantastic. The Wildlife Justice Commission or WJC has closed their first ever public hearing on wildlife crime connected with the Vietnamese Village featured in the film. Footage from the film made up part of the investigation evidence for the case. Remarkably, the Chinese Government – where it is estimated some 70% of all ivory ends up - have announced that The Ivory Game will be included in the upcoming Beijing Film Festival. Of even greater importance, they have also recently announced a ban on all ivory trade and processing activities by the end of 2017.

The Ivory Game Contributors attend the 2016 Kenyan Ivory Burn where 105,000 tons of Government heldstockpiles were burnt. From Left to Right: Ofir Drori, Andrewa Crosta, Elisifa Ngowi, Georgina Kamanga, Hongxiang Huang, Ian Craig and Craig Millar

To help do your bit, DNPW have set up a dedicated WILDLIFE HOTLINE where anonymous tip offs and information relating to Wildlife Crime can be reported: please call +260 977335789 with any information. TL Z