Various organisations are involved in elephant conservation, ranging from major international non-profit government organisations (NGOs) such as World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, to national organisations such as the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand. Many of these organisations create awareness and band together to petition for regulations to be put into place to better protect the elephants.
WORLD ELEPHANT DAY
Started in 2012 by a Canadian and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, 12 August has been a dedicated day for countries and various NGOs worldwide to come together and promote the plight of elephants. The website has an ongoing online petition where individuals around the world can pledge to support elephants and their habitats. By allowing people access to an avenue to make a public commitment, it may translate public’s attitudes into behaviors and actions that are ‘elephant-friendly’. To find out more or to make a pledge, visit the website here.
MONITORING AND FEEDBACK
At the same time, organisations also keep track of the elephants’ population numbers and provide an estimate as close to real-time as possible so that it can accurately feedback and reflect the urgency of the dwindling elephants’ populations to the general public. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species also helps to classify the conservation status of elephants to convey the risk of extinction to general public so that people can be prompted into action.
USE OF CELEBRITIES
Organisations have also worked with celebrities to raise awareness of this issue. In particular, in 2016, Prince Harry of Wales worked with the African Parks to help in an elephant conservation project in Malawi. By involving a prominent individual who is highly respected and known, we can utilize his or her social networks to bring more attention and provide a role model for others to emulate. Watch the video below or click on this website for more information:
ELEPHANT PARKS
Apart from environmental organisations, elephant parks have also been established to provide a way for individuals to view elephants in their natural settings. An example is the Tembe Elephant Park, owned fully and operated by the Tembe tribe located in South Africa. This provides an alternative for individuals to turn to watch and interact with elephants instead of through zoos or elephant rides. Some elephant parks also double as a rescue and rehabilitation center, such as the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand which also opens its doors to volunteers for first-hand experiences on elephants.
A study done at San Diego Zoo Safari Park showed that visitors who experienced an up-close encounter with their elephants were more likely to report that elephants are important in the wild. And with individuals who were able to observe high levels of activity and behavioral diversity in the elephants, they too reported a higher level of intent to help elephant conservation after the experience. Henceforth, this highlights the important role that elephant parks or zoos can play to enrich elephants-interaction experiences of the public so that there is greater awareness about the plight of elephants.
Below is a list of some other organisations committed to saving the elephants and promoting elephant conservation. You are welcome to click on the links to find out more about what each organisation does.