Published on September 5, 2014 by Sean Flynt  

Samford University’s Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences will host the special presentation “Saving Africa’s Giants” Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. in Christenberry Planetarium.

The free public event will feature African Wildlife Trust (AWT) founder and chairman Pratik Patel speaking about “blood ivory” and how to save Africa’s elephants from extinction. Patel is a third generation Tanzanian whose family has been involved in the safari photo and ecotourism business for more than four decades.

According to AWT, 60 or more elephants per day are being killed for their ivory. At that rate, elephants in Tanzania will be extinct in 5 years and all of Africa in 8-10 years. Patel works closely with the government of Tanzania to fight the catastrophic poaching, and was one of the first to link international terrorism with ivory poaching.

Patel promotes a deeper understanding of the endangered wildlife trafficking epidemic the world is facing. His goal is to enable specialized intelligence-led anti-poaching units and a team of conservation consultants to focus on proactive effective wildlife law enforcement.
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.