We Need 100 Artists To Save The Elephants (and Rhinos Too!)

just curious..what is meant by needlessly killed?

Yikes!!

Great cause and I hope you get a lot of artwork and not the usual public lynching these sort of request usually receive in these threads.

And what would an artist receive in exchange for contributing to this project?

If anyone is interested in this project please let Ed know

I absolutely back Floyd's comment here

I was asked where Ed could post this and told him to put it here KNOWING you would all be respectful

Yikes...is someone killing elephants for the fun of it? I am very interested in knowing what the needless killing is. I am guessing someone isnt just killing them. I am guessing maybe circus elephants? I do think the parading of wild animals of all kinds (for profit) is cruel enough but someone is killing them too? Maybe its when they domesticate them and then the elephant does not perform to standard they are no longer needed and then put to death? Is that it?

I myself once witnessed seeing a poacher's scout captured in Kenya decades ago!
A renewed and virulent wave of poaching is threatening Africa’s elephants by taking their lives to get to their tusks. Every year at least 33,000 elephants are illegally poached. This equates to one elephant every twenty minutes. A world without elephants would be a tragic failure of our humanity.
The trade is primarily driven by a burgeoning demand for ivory in China. Ivory has played a centuries-old role in Chinese culture, and is seen as an important medium in art and as a symbol of wealth. The rapidly growing middle class in China is fueling demand and escalating the price of ivory ever higher.
Sophisticated criminal elements – the same groups that smuggle arms, people and drugs – orchestrate the poaching and smuggling of ivory. On-the-ground anti-poaching efforts are outsmarted and outgunned. Borders are too porous and unenforced to stop the flow of ivory. The demand in China seems insatiable.

35,000 elephants are killed each year for their tusks,,,got it...thanks barbie..i searched myself right when you posted that. So why do they say "needlessly killed"... that is a slippery slope...seems there is a great need for the tusks..its a very slippery slope as there are many many similar issues like this that one group or another fights very hard for. While I wish there wasnt a need for the tusks, I wish you good luck on your efforts and I think I will spend my energy fighting the needless killing of humans though abortion, and tyrannical dicators, or even the reversal of the ban on DDT which has led to the deaths of millions of HUMANS in Africa

Hi Ed,
How do we know when you have enough artists - is it first come, first served, or is this juried? I'd like to do an elephant for this -- if you still need artists, let me know, and I'll make one for your contest.
--Cheryl

Robert

Could you let us know why ivory is 'needed' ?

It's too bad Robert has taken this thread off-topic with his rhetoric.

My question is, are photographs allowed or is this only for painted/drawn images?

This is to raise money for www.MarchforElephants.org and what you receive is credit for using your art for a higher cause. If you're asking for compensation, you're not the ideal artist for this cause. One of the great things about being an artist is that you can use your art to raise $$ and awareness. I have sold multiple images at auctions for animal rescue causes and one sold recently at a Humane Society event here in San Francisco for $1,200! I could never afford to give that much money to any organization, but by donating my art I get to be a hero for at least a day.
Cheryl--I looked at your art, so if you want to submit an elephant image, I will guarantee it's in the assemblage.
Robert--There is no need for the tusks and the ancient medicinal have been de-bunked many years ago.
Barbie--Thanks for sharing your thoughts and educating people about the elephant's plight.

Good luck Ed

I've finally lived long enough to see someone defend DDT.

I certainly have no use for ivory....but who am I to say what is important to someone else? But I can say that 10's of millions of HUMANS have died in africa since 1970 when the "nature nuts" prevailed in having DDT banned. So they allow 10's of millions of HUMANS to die in order to maybe ( not scientificly proven) save some birds.

I just think our priorities are way out of whack!

The March for Elephants mission is to promote global awareness of the elephant crisis. I am all for that! Lets do that. Lets get that on a list of priorities. But if you dig deeper into the rhetoric direct from this organization, you will see their true mission is to fiercely (their words) advocate the shut down the ivory trade as they beleive that elephants are a nation unto themselves (again, their words). That is out of whack. Thanks for being tolerant of the opinions of others.

Ed, best of luck with this project. I wish I still lived in the Bay Area, so I could attend. I don't have any elephant art, either, but if I did I would definitely donate. I have a question, if you don't mind. Why sticky notes? Just curious and wondering how that idea came about. Thanks!

Let me repeat Ed..good luck with it and I hope you raise money that can make a difference. side note...what is a sticky note?

Thank you, Barbie, for your excellent explanation. I am aware of the ivory issue, and it is pretty much illegal to sell in this country other than on pre-existing items (musical instruments, etc.). Not sure why middle-class China is so disgustingly clueless.

Robert, a sticky note is a post-it.

DDT linked to breast cancer - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/15616-breast-cancer-ddt-pesticide-environment/

DDT link to Alzheimers - lhttp://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/27/ddt-alzheimers-risk/4915421/

National Geographic news? I really did not want to argue DDT, and there are very good arguments and its been debated for close to 50 years while millions of humans die.....I just wanted to make the case for prioroties of Humans over animals. I appologize for sidetracking he discussion.

THANK YOU GUYS

I appreciate these are important issues but let's keep to people wanting to donate the elephant art, thank you

lol

Thank you Ed. As an artist, and zoologist, living in Thailand, issues around protecting elephants are always on my radar and are core to the work of many of my friends here. I will happily share a link and help spread the word to other artists. Your efforts are appreciated.

We aren't elephant people because we don't care about humans. My attitude is pick one cause and try to make a difference and if you're an artist I believe you have a responsibility to use your art to further your cause(s). I believe that every living thing is entitled to its spot on this planet and has rights. If you want to learn more about a society, see how they treat their children, elderly and animals.
Nola Lee-Thank you, thank you. Finding you has made this thread worthwhile.
Robert--Are you living on this planet? (You really thought that 96 elephants died every day in circuses due to poor performances? Tough crowd!)
Patricia--In 2009, I had a stroke and they got me involved in art therapy. My wife bought me a case of Post-It Notes (I have to call them Sticky Notes because 3M sent me a nasty cease and desist letter a few years back) and she told me go at it! Now I sell a lot of art, big shows, etc and most of my work is on Sticky Notes.
Debra--Sorry, no photographs. Sorry.

Very well said Ed. And thank you for caring and doing something about it. The world needs a lot more people like you and those that are stepping up and assisting you with your efforts. PS - I have always known what post it notes are but still havent the foggiest what a sticky note is and why they are referred to often on these message boards. Anywho, good luck.

For the sake of attempting to clarify the phrase, "needless killing", I suggest that two major forms of this would be (1) trophy hunting, and (2) poaching to sell the ivory on the black market.

To help enlighten about rhinos, here's an article that I recently wrote:

http://robertkernodle.hubpages.com/hub/Trophy-Hunting-Fails-Rhino-Conservation-Supplies-Poachers-And-Perpetuates-Fraud

Great article sir! Kudos! You nailed it! And if I may paste the biggest issue you speak about:

"commitment to enforcement of laws"

This is why I am a conservative. If the "people" speak and laws are created, it is up to "government" to enforce that law. It is not up to government to selcetively decide which laws they will enforce or to create law. That is a prime definer of a tyrannical government which is rooted in corruption and driven by personal gain through the catering to special interest groups.

I am not much of a blog reader or follower..as I tend not to have time to read or study the personal opinions of others. I am more consumed by research and study of history and facts which are often distorted in the blog world to further an agenda. In this case, I am glad I took the time to read yours. It is very well written and lays it all out there with all sides of the issues. thanks again.

Hi Ed, great idea. I would like to get involved, depending on when you need it by. When's the deadline please? I too donate my art for animal welfare charity auctions and as you said, it's a great way to contribute as an artist. Not quite sure what you mean about it having to be yellow though... or is that just if one uses post-its?

Thank you Caroline. The deadline is January 10, so you have plenty of time. The whole thing about the yellow part has to do with people who are using post-it notes. I looked at your art (very impressed) and it looks like you'd probably want to do a larger format and then we can reduce it down to 3 x 3 inches for our poster.

Good article on rhino preservation Robert K. Thanks. Ed, I wish I had something worth contributing, but have not been fortunate enough to see elephants wild. I hope your project is very successful, and thanks for your dedication to something so important.

Ed are you accepting digital art?

If it works, then you can have THIS one:



If yes, then send me a private email, and I will send you the file.

Hi Ed,
I had to get off the computer, I'm back on now for a few minutes. I would be honored to contribute an elephant artwork, our world would be a poorer place without elephants. Count me in.

*****

To those people who don't know what ivory is used for: one use is piano keys. My piano tuner - he refurbishes old pianos, he has something of a "piano rescue" business going... tells me they've invented a synthetic ivory for piano keys, but for people who understand the fine points of how you make piano keys, the synthetic ivory isn't quite as good as real ivory. That said, I don't think piano manufacturers are using ivory for piano keys anymore.

I've also seen ivory jewelry, ivory chess sets, and ivory dominos. None of these are essentials in my world.

At the risk of having all the animal lovers on here throw rotten tomatoes at me... it seems to me that given the price ivory can command, I don't understand why people don't raise elephants on elephant farms, and harvest the tusks by tranquilizing the elephants, not killing them. If there were legitimate sources of ivory, the poaching wouldn't be so lucrative.

Rhinoceros farming might be a little more challenging, they have a reputation for being spectacularly nasty tempered.

Robert:

This is why I am a conservative. If the "people" speak...

That's the thing. Animals aren't citizens of any country that I am aware of, they can't speak, read, write, vote, own the land or body of water they live on/in, or hold copyrights... homo sapiens has a monopoly on all of that.

No doubt the laws would be very different if animals could contribute to the legislative process.

Cheryl: That wouldn't be very sustainable. An elephant's average lifespan is 60 years, and they have been known to live into their 70's and 80's. How would they supply so many elephants with 60+ years worth of food, water, and medical care, as well as 500,000+ acres of land to roam on (average size of their territory)? If you breed them, you're responsible for their lifetime care, you can't just dump that many elephants and expect them to survive on their own.

Or were you thinking of something along the lines of bear bile farms? Bear bile commands a high price and is in demand, so they breed them (and sometimes capture them in the wild) and harvest their bile. They supply them with lifetime 'care' while still turning a huge profit. Here's how they work: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/laos/7950161/Inside-a-bear-bile-farm-in-Laos.html

Ed: I love elephants and am sickened at their abuse. I'm not very good at realism, but if I can come up with something nice, I would be happy to let you use it. :)

I support these efforts, the rhino and the elephant among other animals have important needs.

That said southern Africa is seeing a massive resurgence in elephant populations. Researchers found that by making sure
watering holes were filled and leaves were available from watering hole to watering hole that more baby elephants were
born. As I said the elephant population is soaring throughout the south of Africa.

Man is begin to learn how to turn around many of the desperate things we have done to several species.

I think at Yosemite or Yellowstone the wolf has been reintroduced. Deer and other grazing animals have been forced
by the wolves to higher ground. This has meant greater growths of brush and grasses on the river banks. The rivers
are now holding their banks. Balance is being restored.


Dave

Thanks Ed, and thanks for getting back to me. I shall put my thinking cap on and get something produced!

Ed: I have an artist friend who isn't on here, and this issue is very near and dear to her heart. Do you mind if I copy paste your original entry so she can participate?

Hi Ed, count me in. I live in the bay area and maybe able to come to the event too! Let me know where you want the original post- it mailed. You can message me.

Hi, Ed. I will be happy to help. I emailed you and waiting for few details. Thank you!

Hi, Ed. I finished the painting tonight, I could not go to sleep until was done. So, here it is. I am happy I can contribute. I always loved elephants and all kind of animals.

I will mail the original and the money from sale can go to the project.

Ed,
I messaged you also on FAA.

This sounds interesting, I would love to get involved

Lovely work Robert!

Ed, I have sent you an email with art attached, please take a look it can easily be cropped to 3 x 3. I shall post it on my gallery also for others to see.

Thanks for the artists who have responded, this is great! If you know any other artists who may not be on this site, please refer me to them if you're willing. The best thing to do is email me at era39@aol.com or if they go on Facebook and search for The Pachyderm Sticky Note Project to read our Call for Artists.

Ruth,
I don't know enough about elephants to try farming them myself, that would likely go badly for both me and the elephants.

That said, I think you can do things with elephants other than just sell their ivory tusks. You can give elephant rides / shows, they're very intelligent and strong - they make excellent draft animals, and I'm sure there are other possibilities for what one might do with elephants as farm animals.

But yes, it would take a lot of resources to start an elephant farm, if it were a sure thing as a money-maker, we would already have elephant farms all over the place.

When is the dead line?

That's really sad. I just can't wrap my mind around seeing them (and other living beings) as nothing more than commodities for our amusement or financial gain, regardless of the misery they suffer. I don't see what's wrong with just letting them live free to enjoy life like we do. :(

I'd like to be considered for this great project, Ed. I have today created the following pastel work.



- Michelle Reeve

Ed - A subject close to my heart having been brought up in Africa. I only have many photographs but can put your post out there.
P.s. loved your comment back to Robert Newman about the circus elephants having a tough crowd lol.

Robert Kernodle- Your save the elephant piece is stunning I love it. Looks perfect to me for the post it's / sticky notes.

Hi, Ed.
Just my opinion, I think it will help also, if people can donate other paintings, in case they don't have an elephant. The money from sales can go for the same project.

Ruth:
wrong with just letting them live free to enjoy life like we do. :(

Nothing's wrong with letting them live a free life.

Except that's not what's happening. Humans are poaching them to near extinction, "just leave the elephants alone and they'll be fine" isn't working. We need a real world alternative, real world alternatives take money, the money to support the alternative(s) has to come from somewhere.

It does not matter if the elephant has any redeeming features in the eyes of man or not, they should be allowed to exist just because they have.

For that matter, the elephant in it's natural habitat and in its natural state has more redeeming features then 99% of the people I know. Like most of God's creatures, unprovoked, elephants have no inclination what so ever to act out of conscious thought to do harm to anyone or anything.

That is a character flaw that is only found in man.

We share the earth with a lot of other creatures. They are all worthy of existence, it gets complicated to try to decide one species should be saved and left wild, another species raised and slaughtered as a source of food or other resources, and still other species ignored and driven to extinction through habitat destruction.

Elephants have been known to fight each other, and to trample to death humans they don't like - it isn't quite true that an elephant would never act out of conscious thought to harm anyone or anything. There are a lot of animals who will harm people and other animals on purpose -- even dogs and cats will do that, people don't seem to find that an obstacle to inviting them into their homes as pets. All carnivores kill and eat other animals, so do many omnivores.

Even so, elephants are worth saving - hopefully we will succeed in doing that.

Ed, would this be suitable?



- Richard Reeve
ReevePhotos.com

I will stick with instinct. If an animal sees some one they to not "like", it is because that someone is triggering some sort of instinct that may have been conditioned but it is not conscious thinking. So I will stick with instinct and leave it at that...

35,000 elephants are killed each year for their tusks,,,got it...thanks barbie..i searched myself right when you posted that. So why do they say "needlessly killed"... that is a slippery slope...seems there is a great need for the tusks..its a very slippery slope as there are many many similar issues like this that one group or another fights very hard for. While I wish there wasnt a need for the tusks, I wish you good luck on your efforts and I think I will spend my energy fighting the needless killing of humans though abortion, and tyrannical dicators, or even the reversal of the ban on DDT which has led to the deaths of millions of HUMANS in Africa -Robert

Ed, I think your project is a great idea and wish you the best of luck, if I had art work depicting elephants I would surely contribute. Best of luck!

Robert, the only slippery slope is being sympathetic with any group that seems to think they need or have a right to kill an elephant for an ivory tusk! That's the slippery slope as much as discussing politics which I'm sure is also a very slippery slope.

I think this is a great project. Just tweeted and FB'd this discussion, Ed.

- Richard Reeve
ReevePhotos.com

Mario:
Show me a legitimate need for elephants' tusks and I will change my stance. Killing animals senselessly--how is that a "slippery slope"?

Mario:
Show me a legitimate need for elephants' tusks and I will change my stance. Killing animals senselessly--how is that a "slippery slope"?- Ed

Ed, I think you misunderstood my post, I totally agree with you, my response was to what Robert said below:

" 35,000 elephants are killed each year for their tusks,,,got it...thanks barbie..i searched myself right when you posted that. So why do they say "needlessly killed"... that is a slippery slope...seems there is a great need for the tusks..its a very slippery slope as there are many many similar issues like this that one group or another fights very hard for. While I wish there wasnt a need for the tusks, I wish you good luck on your efforts and I think I will spend my energy fighting the needless killing of humans though abortion, and tyrannical dicators, or even the reversal of the ban on DDT which has led to the deaths of millions of HUMANS in Africa" -Robert


which I understood or took as a statement that sounded like it was sympathetic to those who do feel it's a legitimate need to harvest elephant tusks. I certainly don't, and that's what my point was. I was calling the minimizing of this evil a slippery slope, not your effort to bring attention to these animals.- Mario Carta

Ed, I think your project is a great idea and wish you the best of luck, if I had art work depicting elephants I would surely contribute. Best of luck!- Mario Carta

Robert, the only slippery slope is being sympathetic with any group that seems to think they need or have a right to kill an elephant for an ivory tusk! That's the slippery slope as much as discussing politics which I'm sure is also a very slippery slope.- Mario Carta

I did this one to scale on a 3"x3" drawing paper.
Graphite and pastel.
The elephants trunk is so amazing and reminds me of our own arm and hand.
We don't breathe and spew water with ours.
We can create art with ours.
Some say the elephant can also.

How is possible that insteed of my elephant I painted and posted here, it shows a face of black male whom I dont even know???????

Some one, please help, how is possible that someone delete it my paintig and uploaded that male??? I can't even delete the post!!!

Gina, all I see is your post of 'Lucky to be Alive', I don't know what you are seeing.

i am seeing a ...black male smiling, insteed of my elephant!!!

I toke screen shot, and it is so very weird....I am emailing to FAA that screen shot.

Try clearing your cache and cookies on your browser history.

I did, it is still there. Also from a different computer....

I love this. I was in South Africa in September, and was amazed at the beautiful animals. The elephants had so much soul, you could see their emotions.
I only have photos, but please feel free to look through them, and if there are any of use, please let me know and we can discuss.

Cheryl, it's not profitable to run an elephant farm for tusks, because tusks are the same as teeth- They do not grow back. Elephants take too long to mature and grow a large tusk, and once 20 years goes by, they only get two tusks...That's why they don't bother farming them.

Here on my computer I see the Elephant painting you posted, no black male in the thread. - Just to let you know.

I see all the elephants posted here now Gina after refreshing the page but at first some of them had thick black lines blanking out the middle of each pic. Personally I blame CERN for ramping up their hadron collider activities which releases more demons from the black cube. A few years back when I was still on facebook a young male was murdered and dumped in local bush followed a month later by another young male struck a power pole and died at the bottom of my drive. When I went to open my profile page later that day, instead of my normal pic showing (a photo of me) just the word "LUCKY" appeared in block capitals and my name below the pic had a white line put thru it, I kid you not. Gremlins exist for sure on the net. I hope your elephant returns soon and all returns to normal. While typing this I also heard a mysterious bang on the end of the house which hubby also heard and has gone outside to investigate. The gremlins aka net Spies don't like being talked about obviously. Now I wait to see if this post of mine gets moderated away.

It looks like the mistery was discovered by my Melissa (that is the avatar of one of the members), some error that no one knows at this moment why happened. I trust thay this will be solved by tomorrow. Thank you, again, Melissa for helping me with this!

How are you doing with this, Ed?

- Richard Reeve
ReevePhotos.com

Ed (and anyone else who is interested): Here is my elephant:

Sorry, I haven't been in here for a while, must be longer than I thought.
If any of my ele pics are of interest, pleast choose one (sorry about the elephant seals, I just searched 'elephant'.) I have both Asian and African eles.
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/liz-leyden/shop/all/elephant/all