Greetings fellow elephant lovers! We hope you are enjoying summer and finding time to get outside and explore the many wonders of nature. We have some good news for elephants this report and many ways you can participate to join us in helping them. Thank you for continuing to support elephants!
Celebrating the 13th Annual World Elephant Day |August 12th, 2024
Photo cr. Patricia Sims
Join us in celebrating the 13th annual World Elephant Day (WED), founded by Canadian conservationist and filmmaker, Patricia Sims. WED is globally recognized for elephant conservation organizations to bring awareness to their conservation programs that protect elephants and their habitats – a very important day to fundraise to support respective elephant conservation initiatives.
This year Elephanatics and long-term partners, Mara Elephant Project and World Elephant Day, are joining forces to make WED a mutually beneficial and positive collaboration for elephants. Patricia Sims will be visiting MEP, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary and Save the Elephants to learn first-hand issues facing elephants and how to collaborate to ensure their long-term survival.
Patricia’s trip will help to further develop the relationships WED has with these organizations and continue to build upon the growing importance of the annual World Elephant Day campaign to bring global attention to the critical issues that threaten the future survival of elephants by educating the public about the solutions that these organizations are undertaking to help mitigate these threats – and how people can help.
Stay tuned for more information on Patricia’s planned activities in Kenya by following World Elephant Day here.
Meet the New Class of Fran Duthie Scholarship Participants 2024
Inaugurated in 2022, the Fran Duthie African Elephant Conservation Scholarship has supported Janeth Jepkemboi, the inaugural recipient, who is now completing her MSC in Environmental Studies. This year four more eager students are recipients of the award helping to ensure that Kenyan youth are leading conservation efforts in their country. Read more about the recipients and join us in celebrating World Elephant Day by donating to the Fran Duthie Scholarship here.
Elephanatics Continues Its Advocacy Efforts
- The recent killing of five big tuskers along the Kenyan Tanzanian border, breaking a 30-year moratorium, has roused global concern. With as few as 50 big tuskers alive in Africa these elephants are critically important for stability in elephant societies, their habitats, and ecosystems. Elephanatics has sent a letter to Minister Stephen Guilbeault asking to use Canada’s international influence, and powers of collaboration to protect these few remaining tuskers. Read letter here.
- A coalition of organizations co-signed a letter written by the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime, September 2023, addressing the need to strengthen the international legal framework to tackle the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). Elephanatics has since written letters to Members of Parliament across Canada and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Stephen Guilbeault, to follow up on our ask and to encourage MPs to speak with Minister Guilbeault and other members of Parliament to address this issue as a matter of urgency. A global agreement taking the form of an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is urgently required to provide an international legal framework that will address the multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade. Read letter here.
NEW EDUCATION RESOURCE!
Bring a Wildlife Ranger or Researcher into Your Classroom
Elephanatics and Mara Elephant Project are offering educators a unique opportunity to invite via Zoom a Mara Elephant Project ranger or researcher into your classroom. Students will have the chance to interact with a Kenyan conservationist and learn more about the work they are doing to protect elephants and their habitats in the Greater Mara Ecosystem. This is a completely free opportunity to global educators – Book your session here.