Ellen DeGeneres Will Donate Money Every Time Someone Tweets #BeKindToElephants
Ellen DeGeneres is standing up for elephants by taking a stand against President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, DeGeneres took time during her show to explain to her massive audience that Trump plans to reverse an Obama-era ban on importing elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“I want to talk about the elephant in the room. Literally, I want to talk about elephants,” DeGeneres said in a clip posted to Twitter.
After explaining Trump’s new policies on allowing people to bring parts of elephants back to the U.S. that were killed as trophies, DeGeneres argued, “Basically, by lifting this ban, he is encouraging Americans to kill elephants.”
The host added, “I love elephants, and if you take the time to learn about elephants, you would love elephants, too. Elephants show compassion, sympathy, social intelligence, self-awareness. They’re excellent at learning abilities. All the things I have yet to see in this president.”
To help combat this horrific policy reversal DeGeneres announced a new social media campaign aimed at raising both awareness of elephant poaching and raising funds for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a nonprofit that benefits African elephants.
With the campaign, DeGeneres said she will donate an undisclosed amount for every person who uses the #BeKindToElephants hashtag and reshares the image she created.
“If you’re not outraged, then I beg you to take a little time just to learn about elephants,” DeGeneres said while ending the clip. “They are worth fighting for, and we owe it to them to protect them.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund, African elephants are still listed as “vulnerable” to extinction. Their population, the WWF explained, plays a critical role in maintaining suitable habitats for many other species. It added, “In central African forests, up to 30 percent of tree species may require elephants to help with dispersal and germination. They play a pivotal role in shaping their habitat because of the enormous impact they have on factors ranging from fresh water to forest cover.”
But as the organization said, elephant populations are already in severe danger due to recent surges in poaching, something that surely will not be helped by opening the door for more trophy hunting.