Save the Elephant

SAVE THE ELEPHANT

Elephants are one of nature's most majestic, peaceful and caring creatures on the planet. They are the largest land animal on earth and like humans are social animals that care for each other in their herds (families). Despite their placid nature hhunans have abused, hunted and tortured both the African and Asian Elephants for centuries now.

Whether it's hunting them for their ivory, using them for entertainment of tourist and the public or torturing them to complete tasks in things such caring and moving loads that humans cannot, this large yet gentle creature has been a target of vile abuse for centuries now. This page will share videos that will educate and inform our community about not only those abuses but also about the wonderful volunteers and sanctuaries that are look to save, protect and preserve this wonderful creature.

Watch the amazing videos below featuring amazing people trying to turn things around for these wonderful creatures. The videos provide horror at the treatment of elephants but also demonstrate the hope that we as humans can make a difference to their future.

Where we can we will also provide information on how you can assist either through donations or for the extra keen volunteer work themselves.

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

For over 25 years Kenya-born Daphne Sheldrick lived and worked alongside her husband David, during which time they raised and successfully rehabilitated many wild species. Daphne Sheldrick’s involvement with wildlife has spanned a lifetime, and she is now a recognized International authority on the rearing of wild creatures and is the first person to have perfected the milk formula and necessary husbandry for infant milk-dependent Elephants and Rhinos.

Since the death of her husband, Daphne and her family have lived and worked in the Nairobi National Park, where they have built the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and its pioneering Orphans Project, into the global force for wildlife conservation that is today.

To donate to the Trust CLICK HERE

Save Elephant Foundation

Save Elephant Foundation is a Thai non–profit organization dedicated to providing care and assistance to Thailand’s captive elephant population through a multifaceted approach involving local community outreach, rescue and rehabilitation programs, and educational ecotourism operations.

The Foundation's founder, Sangdeaun Lek Chailert was born 1961 in a small hill tribe village of Baan Lao, two hours north of Chiang Mai Thailand. During her childhood she had the opportunity to spend her time amongst many animals. Her grandfather was the shaman, a tradition healer who not only helped people of his community but also sometime the villagers would bring to him a sick or injured animal for him to look at.

Lek was allowed to be a part of his work and her grandfather let her participate in his his healing of these animals. Through this Lek discovered that all animals strive to live well and Lek became determined to work to save all animals in distress. While Lek is renowned for her work with elephants she also loves to help all kinds animal and provide a locing caring home for them all.

For ways to help and donate to the foundation CLICK HERE

The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thai Elephant Rescue and Education Centre

The forested land around the rescue center gives our rescued elephants the chance to roam around in near natural surroundings. We have purchased large pieces of land to make these forests and grasslands their home. Our large elephant enclosures, up to 5 hectares each, with natural trees, lakes and grazing areas allow our elephants space to move around and socialise with other elephants. We run Asia’s first completely chain- free elephant sanctuary! No elephant is ever chained up, day or night.

Thailand is home to both populations of wild and domesticated populations of the Asian elephant. The domestic population is sadly made up of animals that have been caught from the wild or bred in captivity. These animals have been trained/broken to live and work in the tourist or logging industry. Today, Thailand’s wild population elephant population is struggling for survival. The wild elephant population of Thailand is estimated at 2200 individuals, that live in open grasslands and dense rainforests spread over the country. Historically, domestic elephants have been used predominantly in the logging industry, ironically and unwillingly helping to destroy the very habitat they rely on to survive.

After the ban on logging in 1989, most of the logging elephants ended up being used within the tourist industry or have been used to make a living by begging on the streets of big cities. Walking day and night on these dirty and traffic-congested streets is detrimental to the elephant’s health, and unnatural. Street begging elephants often end up being involved in road traffic accidents, with fatalities commonly occurring for both the elephant and the mahout.

Unfortunately, in Thailand, there are currently no laws to prevent this abuse and mistreatment. Therefore there is an urgent need to help these animals.

For ways to help and donate to the refuge CLICK HERE