Ban trophy hunting in Tanzania

Animal Survival International (ASI), an international wildlife charity, is urgently calling on President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania to ban trophy hunting of cross-border Amboseli elephants now – before it is too late.

Biologically important and widely studied, the Amboseli elephants of Tanzania and Kenya have been protected from trophy hunting for 30 years. Shockingly, towards the end of 2023, this decades-old agreement collapsed when a 'super tusker' Amboseli elephant was killed by trophy hunters. Since then, up to four more elephants have been killed, at least two of which were also super tuskers.

Across Africa, there are only around 50 super tuskers – males with at least one tusk weighing 100 pounds (45 kilograms). In the wake of just a few months of ruthless hunting, this number is down to just 10 in the Amboseli Ecosystem, which straddles the Kenya-Tanzania border.

The Amboseli elephant herd roams between Kenya, where no trophy hunting is permitted, and Tanzania, where they are currently the target of high-paying hunters. The herd is well known to scientists and tourists alike, but its continued survival now hangs in the balance.

From birth, elephants form deep bonds with each other, which last decades and strongly influence their survival and wellbeing. Scientists have also found that elephants feel emotions in a similar way to humans, empathizing with each other and grieving their dead.

The unique cross-border Amboseli elephant herd, which has been studied for over 50 years, contains the irreplaceable genetic legacy of some of Africa's largest-tusked elephants, as well as generations of knowledge and family ties critical to the herd's survival.

Please sign our urgent petition now and join us in appealing to the president of Tanzania to take steps to ban elephant hunting in all Tanzanian areas in which the Amboseli elephants range.

Your signature has the power to help protect these precious wild animals. Please add your voice to our petition and share this plea with your friends, family and networks now.