Have you heard about Jim Justus Nyamu’s cross-continental walks? Read about Ivory Belongs to Elephants’ East-Central Africa campaign walk
An amazing feat! 
(Or should I say feet?) 
Jim campaigns tirelessly to protect elephants. He’s walked 1000s of miles / km and this is his 16th Campaign Walk for Elephants. His aim: to encourage African nations to work closely to protect this species that knows no borders.
Jim Justus Nyamu, *OGW, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Elephant Neighbors Center, a non-profit whose mission is “to protect the African Elephant and secure landscapes for elephants outside protected areas.” The brand Ivory Belongs to Elephants
focuses on raising awareness locally, nationally, and internationally of the plight of African Elephants, primarily through their advocacy walks.
Jim Nyamu is one of my conservation heroes! We last met at the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, where he’s one of the directors
The East-Central Africa walk started in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 29th and passed through Nakuru, Mau Forest, Tinderet, Kakamega and Malaba (Mount Elgon). In Uganda, Jim walked through Mabira Forest, Kampala, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mbarara, Lake Mburo and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; now in Rwanda, Jim will visit Kigali, and Akagera National Park; and onto Goma, Virunga National Park, Okapi Wildlife Reserve, and Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This four-month walk will cover approximately 3,200 km. The walks offer solutions to mitigating human-wildlife conflict and highlight the direct importance of wildlife to affected communities.
Jim Nyamu is joined by supporters from Kenya and the East African Community on one of his many Ivory belongs to elephants campaigns
Uganda – and Kenyans living in Uganda – were honoured to meet Jim Nyamu in Kampala and accompany him for a few km walk through the city
This most iconic of African species is being pushed towards extinction – slaughtered by poachers to supply a worldwide ivory trade worth up to US$20 billion a year. Despite a ban in many countries, the killing is only getting worse. There are now estimated to be only 350,000 elephants left in Africa, with approximately 20,000 being killed every year. African elephants will be extinct in our lifetime if this rate of loss continues.
Ivory belongs to elephants press releaseElephants are crucial in:
dispersing seeds + keeping the habitat open for grazing animals + fighting climate change by contributing to natural carbon capture + attracting millions of tourists who make substantial contributions to sub-Saharan Africa’s economies + so much more!
Tree-planting at a school in Uganda, September 2023. Jim Nyamu and the ivory belongs to elephants campaign have engaged with 16,000 schools over the last decade
Jim and his team have been walking to raise awareness since 2013. By the end of the current campaign, they will have walked almost 20,000 km across Africa, the United States, and the UK, connecting with over 16,000 schools, and holding over 900 community meetings along the the campaign walks.
Jim also walks in the US and Europe to raise awareness in international communities that are still trading in ivory. For example, despite the 2018 announcement of the UK government’s plans to ban sale and export of most ivory items, the trade in ivory and live elephants is still legal in several countries.
Jim Justus Nyamu
If you see Jim, why not join the walk for an hour or even a day?
Better still, you can support the team on the ground by making a donation. (I know how grim it is to try and sleep in a soggy tent!)
You can send directly to Jim Justus Nyamu via Momo +256 784755115 or Mpesa +254 713353060 or donate on the Ivory belongs to elephants gofundme page. Find out more on the Ivory belongs to elephants on Facebook.
(*OGW is the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya is an award presented to individuals in recognition of an outstanding service rendered to the country).
The post Trunk call: Jim Nyamu walks across East Africa to protect elephants appeared first on Diary of a Muzungu.
