Yahoo used to have the strength of an elephant, but the now-struggling company has resorted to funding and profiting from the massacre of approximately 36,000 elephants per year. Between 2012 and 2014, 12 tons of elephant ivory were sold on Yahoo Japan. And majestic, gentle giants with families, emotions and complex social structures were reduced to fancy letter writing personal seals (known as a hanko) and other unnecessary trinkets that can sell for as little as $20 on Yahoo Japan. Yahoo, an investor in Yahoo Japan, insists that it cannot force Yahoo Japan to stop the sale of ivory items on the site, even though it doesn't condone the practice.
But Yahoo's inaction and Yahoo Japan's actions are funding and profiting from the $19 billion illegal wildlife trade where 1 elephant is killed every 15 minutes and none could be left roaming wild in 2025. The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest global illegal trade (narcotics, counterfeiting of products and currency, and human trafficking round up the top 3), and it has close ties to criminal networks, including the infamous Boko Haram. The trade stumps economic and social growth, threatens the environment and endangers national and international security.
Sign and share this petition demanding that Yahoo Japan and Yahoo stop putting profits over preserving elephants for future generations. Yahoo Japan needs to stop the sale of ivory items on its site now. As WildAid says, "When the buying stops, the killing can too."
Photo Credit: Vikalpa | Groundviews | Maatram | CPA
