The all-action movie star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has lent his weight to a campaign against ivory poaching by blowing up an elephant tusk on camera.
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s ‘96 elephants campaign’ aims to draw attention to the daily death toll of the majestic animals.
In the video, a T-shirt wearing Schwarzenegger says: “Hey, stop killing 96 elephants every day just because of this ivory. Lets get rid of the demand once and for all.” He then presses a detonator, exploding a tusk.
More than 42 tonnes of illegal ivory have been destroyed so far this year in China, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and the US.
But the WCS fears that a House interior appropriations bill could roll back current US regulations and thwart efforts by the Fish and Wildlife Service to curtail the illegal trade.
John Calvelli, the WCS’s campaign director said: “We are extremely grateful Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the 96 Elephants campaign, and we are hopeful that his global following of fans will become allies to stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand of ivory.”
• This article was amended on 21 November 2015. An earlier version described Arnold Schwarzenegger as a former California senator.
