ELEPHANT ACTION LEAGUE

Programs: Wildlife crime - the investigation that effectively put elephant action league (eal) on the map was a hard-hitting, very risky foray following the alleged notion that terrorist organizations in africa had for some time been acquiring ivory to fund their operations. In 2011-2012, eal assets conducted an 18-month investigation on the somali terrorist organization al-shabaab and the alleged link to elephant poaching and ivory trafficking. After dozens of meetings with traders, traffickers, poachers and even ex-warlords, our assets found an indisputable financial trail between the illicit trade in ivory and the terrorist organization al-shabaab. This expose set the benchmark for the type of investigative work that eal endeavors to conduct: impactful and meaningful outcomes based on thorough research and work of the highest integrity. Based on high-quality intelligence shared with us via an eal initiative, wildleaks (for a full explanation of the wildleaks initiative, please see the following section), we have identified three additional areas of interest that require urgent action, including investigations into two new locations tanzania and mozambique and one follow-up investigation in kenya, where we have already produced results. Information shared with us via wildleaks has provided the foundation for an in-depth look at a few different components of the elephant poaching and ivory trafficking epidemic that is affecting tanzania and mozambique. Our goal is to translate that information into two investigations, which will shed light on the people involved and the weaknesses in the system that are taken advantage of that facilitate this level of exploitation. Also of concern to eal, and based on the investigation into al-shabaab in 2011-2012, is the sizable amount of ivory that travels through kenya and into somalia before it is smuggled to a consumer destination. A country such as somalia, with its nearly total absence of governance, is a natural choice for would-be traffickers and while it is admittedly difficult to achieve results there now, we believe that an impact can be made on the kenya side of the border.

wildleaks. Org - the elephant action league (eal) assessed the need to create a safe space where members of the public civil servants, ngos, private industry employees, etc could share confidential, sensitive information about wildlife crimes in a secure, anonymous way. Eal decided to launch the wildleaks project with the stated mission to collect confidential information, leads, and leaks related to wildlife crime and to transform that information into actionable items. In february 2014 the main component of wildleaks its secure online platform for submission of information went online. The main objective of wildleaks is to prevent wildlife crime and to facilitate the identification, arrest and prosecution of those responsible for wildlife crimes. The project enjoys collaboration and support at various levels from several organizations, including the environmental investigation agency (eia), panthera, conservation international (ci), c4ads and the hermes center for digital rights. Although wildleaks was launched with minimal investment in marketing and promotion, it received its first leak after just 24 hours from its launch. Subsequent to this first leak, we have received a steady supply of submissions; currently wildleaks receives, on average, one useful lead per week on a variety of issues to include ivory trafficking, illegal trophy hunting, illegal logging, and online trafficking of wildlife products. After 18 months of operation and stress-testing of the major components the platform, technologies, the modus operandi, the collaboration with ngos and law enforcement agencies, the social networks, field activities, etc. It is now time to launch wildleaks on a global scale, with an organized and concerted action plan and the support structure in place to take wildleaks to the next level of efficacy.

human-elephant conflict - the elephant action league (eal) defines the human toll of the ivory trade as the negative impact on the individuals and communities exploited along the illegal ivory supply chain from africa, to asia, and points beyond. This trade is historically and inexorably linked to the exploitation and enslavement of vulnerable communities and other natural resources in africa and asia. Behind every trinket made and sold is a trail of human suffering and exploitation. The human toll is also manifested in governments being pulled deeper into the morass of corruption, mismanagement, and taxpayer abuse wrought from public officials supporting criminal interests. It includes the lives affected by the introduction of other illegal activities that overlap with the ivory trade including the trafficking of weapons, drugs and humans. It includes the many orphans and widows left behind by wildlife rangers, poachers, and other law enforcement officials killed in the field. Finally, it has also led to increasing links between ivory trafficking and illegal armed groups in central and east africa, affecting the peace and security of thousands of communities in the region. The human toll initiative by eal seeks to hold consumers and governments accountable and in so doing, create another lever of pressure on individuals and governments to achieve a total ban of ivory sales the world over and close the largest legal market in existence: chinas. Its vital that other ngos of all types, as well as governmental organizations, academics, environmental activists, and key political and cultural leaders of every country, join eal in this important and timely campaign to protect those people most vulnerable to the negative impacts of the ivory trade and bring the elephant back from the very real threat of extinction.

communication & advocacy - $4895; general program - $5536