Elephants are great, right? You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who cringes at the sound of the word “elephant,” because frankly, these gentle giants are not only super cool and interesting, they’re also irresistibly adorable. Really the whole package for a creature we should want to protect…or so you would think.

Turns out not everyone on the planet is such a huge fan of elephants, or maybe they are–they’re just more concerned with the economic value of that elephant, than it’s intrinsic value as part of its native ecosystem. Elephants across Asia and Africa are being put in critical danger of extinction due to aggressive poaching related to the illegal ivory trade. While it may seem like a far off problem to those of us located in North America, the disappearance of elephants gradually impacts all life on Earth…making it our problem.

So, let’s say, for example, you live in Nebraska–why in the world would you need to take an interest in the protection of elephants? Saying “because we’re all connected” just doesn’t seem to do this point justice, so check out this video for the real science behind why you should care. If you don’t care “because we’re all connected,” maybe you will care because, well…”science.” P.s. it’s not just elephants, but all big animals too!