Dear Elephants: World Wildlife Day is recognizing the 50th anniversary (3 March 1973) of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (5)) this year with their 2023 theme of ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’. It is no coincidence that WWD chose March 3rd as their birth date to ‘celebrate all … Continue reading »
Dear Elephants: Elephant Spoken Here was following in giant footsteps by choosing the 12th of August as our inaugural day. That goes without saying. The footprints that cause us the most concern, however, are yours, our elephants. Protecting your species from the endless greed of poachers. Saving your species from human elephant conflict when more … Continue reading »
“We must urgently put an end to poaching and ensure that sufficient suitable habitat for both forest and savanna elephants is conserved.” This piece of cautionary advice was delivered by Dr Bruno Oberle, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that compiles the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species which brings … Continue reading »
Newborn baby elephant On wobbly feet this wee one may look fragile but with encouragement from her elephant herd she takes her first baby elephant steps toward mama’s comforting side, ever determined, even after a couple of tumbles, to complete the task at hand. Whilst doing trunk twirls, maybe thinking her way through, or just … Continue reading »
While the overall wild elephant population on the continent of Africa has seriously declined, from “as many as 10 million” in 1930 to only 415,000 in 2018, bringing the extinction of the species so very near, Kenya has hopeful news when it was recently announced that its current elephant population has more than doubled, when … Continue reading »
Having raised them from birth it is not surprising that landowner Akhtar Imam, from Bihar, in the eastern part of India, would want to provide for his elephants after his death. Although his wife and children “are not entirely happy” with his decision to bequeath 6.2 acres of his homestead “worth Rs 5 crore“, (approx. … Continue reading »
The young African elephant looks almost angelic as if peacefully asleep until one is jarred into reality by the small bullet hole, trickling blood, in a direct center hit on her face. Almost immediately one’s attention is focused on the awkward position of her body, front legs tucked under and head butted up against a … Continue reading »
“Dozens of Sumatran elephants have been killed in recent years,” the result of human-elephant conflict. In July 2018 another female elephant, age 10, was discovered dead in the “Jambo Reuhat village in North Aceh” in Sumatra (again on a palm oil plantation, the deforestation of which continues to deplete an elephant’s natural habitat & at … Continue reading »
They say if one is the “salt of the earth” then one has a “basic, fundamental goodness” compared to those around them. They are humble, yet “representative of the best or noblest elements of society“. On this Earth Day let us not forget our elephants. If ever a species could be considered “salt of … Continue reading »
For those of us who have been a part of the Elephant Family family, and receiving their “e-news” letters, one can only reveal that a recent email shocked us to the core. Asian elephants in the country of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) are now not only the target of poachers for their ivory. Asian … Continue reading »