Paul McCartney helping to save elephants

In Honor of World Elephant Day - Martin D-28 Guitar (left-handed) Autographed by Paul McCartney to #SaveElephants, Benefitting The Nature Conservancy

One of the most beloved Singer/Songwriters of all time is helping save one of the world's most beloved species in honor of World Elephant Day.

The Nature Conservancy will auction a Martin D-28 (left-handed) guitar autographed by Sir Paul McCartney provided by Martin Guitar, founding sponsor of The Nature Conservancy's #SaveElephants initiative tomorrow at 9 am eastern. You can learn more about bidding on this one of a kind guitar at http://bit.ly/1yr1npS

Sir Paul has worked passionately for decades to make the world a better place for animals. In a nod to Woody Guthrie's famous guitar, Sir Paul wrote "This Guitar Saves Elephants" on this gorgeous Martin D-28 that is left-handed like Sir Paul plays. A fitting slogan since the funds raised will be directed to The Nature Conservancy's African Elephant Initiative, a global effort to work with partners in Africa, China, and elsewhere to increase security for elephants on the ground and to reduce demand for ivory.

"To have Sir Paul's support and working with Martin Guitar is a real honor," said David Banks, Managing Director, Africa Program, The Nature Conservancy. "This caliber of collaboration will make a difference to help end the worst poaching crisis in history."

It's estimated that there were 1.2 million elephants in Africa in 1980. Now only about 430,000 remain, with an estimated 20,000 elephants killed last year alone for their tusks.*

"The Martin Guitar Company has been concerned about the African Elephant ivory poaching for over 45 years. We believe that everyone can make a difference to help save these magnificent animals. Joining forces with The Nature Conservancy on their #SaveElephants initiative has been very gratifying to everyone involved and having one of the most celebrated and recognizable Singer/Songwriters of our time sign our donated D-28 has exceeded our expectations," says Amani Duncan V.P., Brand Marketing for Martin Guitar. "We are thrilled the proceeds raised will continue to fund the critical work of those brave souls on the front lines working every day to make a difference."

If the guitar is out of your budget range, you can still make a difference for elephants. With the click of a button, people can join the herd and help rally more support for elephants at www.nature.org/elephants.

The Nature Conservancy is working with many partners to protect elephants through a holistic approach that addresses both the supply and demand side of the ivory crisis. Most illegal ivory is trafficked to Asian countries, most notably China, where they are carved into chopsticks, bracelets, and other items. Unfortunately, there is widespread misinformation, leaving many Chinese consumers unaware of the truth about the origins of ivory, so The Nature Conservancy is working with some of the most influential private sector leaders in China to educate consumers and erode the prestige of ivory. At the same time, the Conservancy is working with partners in Africa to increase security forces, expand conservation areas, and importantly, tackle the root cause of poaching: poverty and instability. The only way to protect elephants long-term is to provide conservation incentives to the people who live among them.