Dear friends,
South African lions are being slaughtered for their bones, just to make bogus sex potions for men. But if we show President Zuma that this hurts South Africa’s image as a tourist destination, he could stop this cruelty by banning the trade in lion bones and organs. Sign the petition below — we’ll take out ads in major tourism magazines and websites:
|
Hundreds of South African lions are being slaughtered to make bogus sex potions for men. But we can stop this cruel trade by hitting the government where it hurts — the tourism industry.
A global ban on tiger bone sales has traders hunting a new prize — the majestic lions. Lions are farmed under appalling conditions in South Africa for “canned hunting”, where rich tourists pay thousands to shoot them through fences. Now experts say lion bones from these killing farms are being exported to phony ‘medicine’ makers in Asia for record profits. Trade is exploding and experts fear that as prices rise, even wild lions — with only 20,000 left in Africa — will come under poaching attack.
If we can show President Zuma that this brutal trade is hurting South Africa’s image as a tourist destination, he could ban and punish the trade in lion bones. Avaaz is taking out strong ads in airports, tourism websites and magazines, but we urgently need 1 million petition signers to give the ads their force. Sign below to build our numbers fast:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/1_million_to_ban_the_lion_trade_fbb/?bhPqncb&v=15583
‘Tiger bone wine’ and other tiger-part medicines were banned after massive international outrage — now traders have shifted their attention to lions’ bones to make all kinds of bogus remedies. Experts say unless governments act now, lions could be the next in line — after tigers and rhinos — to face extinction.
There is a solution: banning and punishing the trade of lion bones and organs. South Africa is currently the largest exporter of lion trophies, bones and organs — it is also the only African country actively breeding lions in large numbers to supply trophy hunting. But if we can show that allowing this senseless trade can hurt South Africa’s booming tourism industry and make visitors flee, President Zuma could be forced to act.
Let’s build a thunderous global roar for the lions. Avaaz will show the cruelty of the lion bone trade with stinging ads — sign now:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/1_million_to_ban_the_lion_trade_fbb/?bhPqncb&v=15583
Avaaz members across the world have come together to demand strong protection for elephants and rhinos, save the world’s bees from poisonous pesticides and achieve huge marine reserves in Chagos and Australia to safeguard vulnerable marine species. Lets come together once again and stand up for Africa’s lions.
With hope, and determination,
Jamie, Alex, Antonia, Mia, Alice, Ricken, Luca, Emily and the entire Avaaz team
More information:
Lion Bone Trade Fuels Breeding Business in Africa (Al Jazeera)
http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00040108.html
South Africa continues to support the lion bone trade (LionAid)
http://www.lionaid.org/blog/2012/06/south-africa-continues-to-support-the-lion-bone-trade.htm
Quenching a thirst for lion bones (Mail & Guardian)
http://mg.co.za/article/2012-04-20-quenching-a-thirst-for-lion-bones/
Born to be killed (Carte Blanche)
http://beta.mnet.co.za/carteblanche/Article.aspx?ID=4226
The Lion Bone’s Connected to the … Rhino Horn? (Rhinoconservation.org)
http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2012/05/12/the-lion-bones-connected-to-the-rhino-horn/
Wildlife trafficking trail leads to SA safari man (News 24)
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Bloody-rhino-poaching-trail-leads-to-SA-safari-operator-20110721 
Avaaz.org is a 14-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 19 countries on 6 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
You are getting this message because you signed “Save our dying planet!” on 2011-12-08 using the email address nevilleg729@gmail.com.
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, https://secure.avaaz.org/act/index.php?r=profile&user=6be3e9aa63582c9b1397464fcc49baa9&lang=en, or simply go here to unsubscribe.
To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).
![<em>Illustration: Simon Letch</em>” /></p>
<p><em>Illustration: Simon Letch</em></p>
</div>
<p>Problem? Far from it.</p>
<p>”[The] positive role of migration in maintaining the size of the labour force in many countries is expected to become more important as more baby boomers retire,” the report states. ”By 2015, immigration – at the current level – will not be sufficient to maintain the working-age population in many OECD countries, especially in the European Union.”</p>
<p>One of the defining global narratives of the coming decades will be the struggle of ageing nations to rejuvenate their populations and provide for the needs of their elderly. But here in Australia we force young, willing hands in nearby countries to board leaky boats to take their chances in a cruel sea. That is not only morally shameful, it’s economically stupid.</p>
<p>Figures from the same OECD report prove decisively that job gains for migrants do not come at the expense of existing Australians.</p>
<p>Across the first half of the noughties, the employment-to-population ratio for foreign-born Australian men averaged 73.2 per cent. The average for native-born Australian men was substantially higher, at 78.8 per cent.</p>
<p>In the second half, this gap shrank. The average employment-to-population ratio for foreign-born men advanced to 76.3 per cent. But this did not come at the expense of the native-born, who saw their ratio also increase, to 80 per cent.</p>
<p>Because, for all the focus on asylum seekers, Australia’s overall migration program is heavily focused on filling existing skills shortages and, hence, is skewed towards younger working people. Australia’s total migration and humanitarian intake was 182,500 people last financial year. Of these, most – 92 per cent – came from the migration program.</p>
<p>Just 8 per cent, or 13,799 visas, were granted under the humanitarian program. Of these, most – 8971 – were granted to people seeking asylum from an offshore location. The number granted to people who had made their way to Australia first, by boat or plane, was 4828.</p>
<p>Australia’s refugee intake is not only small compared to its total migration intake, but also compared to the number of people who would like to seek asylum here. Australia received 54,396 offshore applications for humanitarian visas last year, meaning for every successful one, five others went unanswered.</p>
<p>Is it any surprise people get on boats? With such an undersupply of places relative to demand, a black market in people smuggling is the only natural result.</p>
<p>It seems distasteful, somehow, to apply an economic framework to a such a morally charged policy issue as asylum seekers. It is governments, after all, not markets, that decide the supply of migration places.</p>
<p>But people smugglers are a good example of the economic phenomenon of black markets. Black markets for products and services spring up where supply in legitimate markets is overly restricted. Just as alcohol prohibition in the US forced up the price of booze and fuelled criminal activity in the 1920s and ’30s, a shortage of humanitarian visas to Australia has encouraged people smuggling. People smugglers are today’s bootleggers, with tragic consequences.</p>
<p>The evidence shows, after all, that most people who arrive unlawfully by boat are eventually settled in Australia on protection visas – 83.3 per cent of the ”irregular maritime arrivals” in 2009-10, according to the latest figures from the Department of Immigration.</p>
<p>By far the best way to smash the people smugglers’ business model would be to expand the legal market for seeking asylum. It’s time to accept there is a constant, and even increasing, demand by people to seek asylum in Australia.</p>
<p>If we want to stop the boats, the best way might be to fire up the 747 turbo engines and simply fly people here, legally and safely, in the first place. If we want to deter desperate people from making a treacherous journey, let’s make it known in international refugee processing centres around the world: there is an easier path to Australia and an open door on arrival for those who follow it.</p>
<p>Sound radical? Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this week’s debate on asylum seekers is that there is, in fact, tri-partisan agreement on just this point.</p>
<p>The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, promised this week to increase the humanitarian intake to 20,000 within three years of forming a government. The Greens issued a press release yesterday titled ”We Can Save Lives From Today” proposing much the same thing.</p>
<p>Just last month, the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen, told the International Association of Refugee Law Judges of his desire to progressively increase the humanitarian program to 20,000. As for why he had not already done this, Bowen cited budget constraints. Every additional 1000 humanitarian places would cost the budget $216 million. Increasing it to 20,000 would cost about $1.35 billion over the first four years.</p>
<p>And so it comes to this: what price asylum seekers’ lives?</p>
<p>It’s time for politicians to bite the bullet and agree to increase Australia’s humanitarian intake. As a rich nation with low public debt and so much to gain from migration we cannot afford not to do so. That politicians can agree on this central point and continue to squabble among themselves is not only deeply shameful, but the ultimate sign of the deep dysfunction that prevails in our nation’s Parliament.</p>
<p><strong><img decoding=](http://images.smh.com.au/2012/06/28/3412542/art-353-letch-200x0.jpg)
Follow the National Times on Twitter: 
