I remember the very first time I ‘met’ an elephant. It was the early 1960s, on a Nairobi National Park self-drive safari. Our family car was driven by my father. My sisters, mother and I were in the back seat peering through the front windshield, very excited to see an elephant crossing ahead of us. My father stopped the car, my brother Moses began to capture video footage on our trusty, (now) vintage camera.
Suddenly the elephant turned toward us, ears flapping, dust flying. I recall the fear as my father put the car into a speedy, panicked reverse, to quickly move us out of harm’s way. It was clear who had the right of way.
Growing up in East Africa, and my many returns since then, has given me an upfront appreciation for the magnificence of wildlife. An appreciation for the exquisite beauty of our earth.
Earlier this year, I became a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Partner. And, although I’ve known about their work for over three decades, it has been a privilege to learn so much more about their work AND the work we must do to save our precious (wild) life.
We’ve all heard about the threats around various species of animals – yet – too many of us aren’t fully grasping what this really means for our planet. “For Nature, For People, Forever”, is WWF’s clarion call for us all to heed. “We’re in this together” is also an appropriate call for organizations, such as WWF, that lead us to do what we can now, before it’s too late.
Today is World Elephant Day … please join me by choosing to learn more about where we are in the movement to save our wildlife and wild places around the world. We have far less time to make a difference than we know.
Please go to support.worldwildlife.org – do it now — I can’t imagine talking about elephants being part of the long ago, good old days.
Can you?
