international school. But their most
impressive feat has been the collection
of a staggering 64,000 signatures
supporting the destruction of the
stockpile. The global petition was
presented to the government the day
before officials voted to destroy Hong
Kong’s illegal ivory.
“I was so happy when I found out
they were going to burn the tusks that
I cried,” says nine-year-old Christina.
“I was really hoping the government
would listen to us and they did.”
No rest
Following the success of their efforts,
the Elephant Angels have taken on
a bigger challenge. They are now
calling for a total ban on ivory sales in
Hong Kong.
“We need to stop the retailers
from selling ivory while there are still
some elephants left alive,” says Lucy,
11. “No one needs ivory trinkets, but
we do need elephants.”
Recent revelations of Hong
Kong retailers passing off freshly
sourced ivory as old, “legal” stock,
and advising mainlanders on how to
smuggle it over the border, has further
fuelled the young activists.
“The illegal trade is out of control
and the only way to tackle it is to stop
it altogether,” says Lucy.
The group has now initiated a
second petition with the hopes of
raising a tidal wave of support to
encourage the government to impose
a ban. The online petition has already
attracted thousands of signatures
from all over the world.
To spread their message far
and wide, the Angels have had
a fast education in media-savvy
communication. They have
performed dozens of interviews
with television and print journalists,
appearing in newspapers locally, in
Australia and in the UK.
And it’s not just elephants
benefitting from the passion of this
collection of kids. While motivating
other young people to stand up
and fight for a cause, they are also
teaching themselves a valuable lesson.
“We’ve realised that our young
voices can be very powerful,” says
Nellie. “With determination, we can
make a big difference. We have and
we will.”
May 2014
43
To sign the online petition supporting a ban on ivory sales in
Hong Kong, Google “Avaaz Hong Kong Ban Ivory Sales Now”.
Photo: Dr Clarence KF Tsui. Left to right: Illeana, Christina, Tommy, Lucy and Nellie
Photo: Alex Hofford.Left to right: Illeana, Tommy, Nellie, Lucy and Christina
