A TRAFFORD resident has arranged for a herd of 'elephants' to march through Manchester on Saturday, September 24 to draw attention to the ever-increasing plight of these endangered animals.

The event is one of more than130 worldwide taking place under the banner of Global March for Elephants and Rhinos (#GMFER), which aim to focus political pressure on world leaders to protect the world’s largest land mammal.

It will see marchers dressed in elephant and rhino costumes, arts and crafts and origami elephants to give out to the crowds.

This is the fourth year that marches will take place from Africa to Australia and from Mexico to the Middle East. In the UK, the first ever Manchester gathering joins events in Edinburgh, Exeter and London to show solidarity and save the species.

The date is significant because it coincides with CoP17, the world’s largest and most influential meeting on international wildlife trade, taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from September 24 to October 5.

The Manchester march is being organised by Tiffani Lewsley, a vision mixer for television production, who lives in Sale. Tiffani, originally from London, moved to Manchester in 2012 to work at Media City, and first began campaigning for animals in 2008 after a gap year trip to Sri Lanka which opened her eyes to the suffering of elephants.

After her first trip, Tiffani made many subsequent visits to worldwide elephant projects, and is now an active advocate for their welfare.

She decided to organise the Manchester march after attending other events in London and Liverpool, and has been working tirelessly to organise the event and recruit support for the cause.

Tiffani said: “Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and have memories that span many years. They live in mainly female herds led by the oldest and largest family members - matriarchs who guide their families and ensure their survival.

"They are social, emotional creatures that have been proven to display signs of grief, joy, anger and play. They are also nature’s gardeners and are vital to the ecosystem.

“With so few numbers left, and such a slow rate of reproduction, both elephants and rhinos are rapidly heading for extinction, unless action is taken to save them.

"We want to send a message to say that every country should ban its domestic ivory trade and destroy its stockpile of ivory and rhino horn, destroying their commercial value. World leaders need to listen before it is too late and these beautiful creatures are gone forever.”

Tiffani is urging everyone to come along to the march and join in. Demonstrators will be meeting at 11.30am in All Saints Park before setting off at 12noon on a route which goes through Chinatown and Deansgate before arriving at Cathedral Gardens the Triangle for a rally, and speeches and performances from both poet Tim Ellis, taking part as one of the 100,000 Poets for Change, and Angie Goody, who works with rhinoceroses at Thandi’s Endangered Species Association on the Isle of Man.

The route is family friendly and easy enough for all abilities and Tiffani hopes to attract families and groups who want to be the voice of these majestic creatures.

Tiffani added: “I have never organised an event like this before but I feel so strongly that we should do something – if we do not act now these beautiful animals will be lost forever and I feel we need to make as much noise as possible in order to ensure their survival.”

She said elephants and rhinos face the biggest crisis in their millions of years on Earth. They are being pushed close to the brink of extinction by poaching.