Fahlo Partners: Save the Elephants

Wildlife Collections started its partnership with Save the Elephants (STE) in 2020. STE is among the top elephant conservation organizations in the world. They work to perform research and operations with the aim of ensuring the survival of this endangered species.

British Zoologist Iain Douglas-Hamilton founded the Save the Elephants organization in 1993. It’s a UK-registered organization, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with its principal research center is located in the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The efforts of STE have been vital for gaining a better understanding of elephant populations and they have launched several initiatives and partnerships to further the goals of elephant rescue and preservation of their habitats.

Combating Poaching

Poaching presents a direct threat to elephants across the world. With more than 33,000 elephants being killed for their ivory each year, the species is being pushed to the brink of extinction. Save the Elephants works with a range of organizations and professionals to protect elephants from poachers and put an end to ivory trafficking.

As a part of this effort, Save the Elephants partnered with the World Conservation Network to launch the Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF). As of this writing, the ECF has helped launch more than 300 hundred projects across 40 countries and in cooperation with 90 partners. 

Elephant Research

The work of the elephant conservation organization, STE, is vital for expanding our knowledge of elephants. They perform significant research to provide a better understanding of elephant behavior and to gain insights into their habitats. They also monitor illegal hunting and its effects on elephant populations.

Save the Elephants is also a pioneer in the field of elephant tracking. The organization uses GPS tracking to study the behavior and movements of elephant populations. The data gathered from GPS tracking has been important for understanding ecology from the perspective of elephants and it has also helped to inform elephant rescue efforts.

The Benefits of Tracking

Tracking elephants allows important research, like elephant travel patterns and individual movements, to be conducted. More than this, however, it also aids in combating poaching operations. STE uses real-time visual tracking remote technology to monitor and assess poacher risk. Their patented Domain Awareness system is used in over fifty protected areas in Africa.

The tracking also shows researchers how elephant behaviour, migration patterns, and movement changes over time. This data has been used to fight for elephants rights and rights to their own habitats. The information has been shared with community leaders and elders, road and rail developers, and politicians. Save the Elephants uses the elephant tracking data to fight for elephant rights as record of their movement and behaviour is the closest thing elephants will ever have to a voice of their own.

Mitigating Conflict Between Humans and Elephants

Aside from poaching, the growing sprawl of human settlement is another threat to elephants. As human settlement spreads, elephant habitats fragment and grow smaller. There is also more potential for conflict between humans and elephants with interactions being more common.

Save the Elephants works to develop strategies to help elephants and humans coexist. Using their research, they help landscape planners build in ways that protect the rangelands and allow elephants access to migration routes. They also started the Elephants & Bees program as a way to prevent elephants from destroying crops. 

Other Impacts

Additionally, STE’s work with partners has had important and tangible impacts in the field of gender equity and the sale of equity. In 2019, Save The Elephants assisted the Chinese authorities in a major ivory bust that was the result of a three year undercover investigation. The investigation was done by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and part-funded by the Elephant Crisis Fund. 

Also in 2019, in the Kenyan region of Tsavo, the Elephants & Bees Project hosted the first ever Women’s Enterprise Workshop with the support of Wildlife Works and Glassybaby. Gender equity, women’s rights, and supporting the communities they work with in Africa are also three pillars of crucial importance to STE.

Raising Awareness

Save the Elephants does a lot of work to protect elephants, but they know they can’t do it alone. Along with their partners and other elephant conservation organizations, they know that they need the support of the public and governments from around the world. To achieve this support, STE produces a variety of resources and works with the media to raise awareness.

Beyond collecting and sharing research to help people understand elephants and the threats they face, Save the Elephants works with news organizations, social networks and ambassadors to help them spread the word. Along with that, they also produce films and publications to inform the public and gain support for elephant conservation.

Elephant Tracking Bracelets 

We consider it a privilege to partner with an organization like Save the Elephants. We have great respect for the work they do, and we are proud to be able to contribute to their efforts. 

We sell our Expedition Bracelets under our partnership with Save the Elephants. As a part of this campaign, we donate a portion of the profits from every sale to Save the Elephants. 

In addition to the bracelet, the customer gets a real wild elephant they can track. Using the tracking data from STE, customers can learn about the life of the elephant and see where they are on the tracking map. We believe that this model not only helps to raise funds for STE but that it is also a good way to increase interest and raise awareness. 

Please check out the Save the Elephants website to learn more about the organization and the important work they do.