Tag: advocacy for elephants Canada

Historic Victory: Canada Votes YES to Launch UN Treaty Negotiations Against Environmental Crime

Published on by elephanatic
Great news!
we would like to Thank Everyone Who Supported Our ‘Give Wildlife Crime The Severity That It Deserves’ Campaign!

As the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC COP13) wrapped up on Friday, October 23, 2026, breakthrough news came out of UN Headquarters in Vienna: State Parties officially voted to launch negotiations for a historic, first-ever legally binding UN Protocol against Environmental Crime!

The final vote on Resolution L.4 was a decisive victory for global wildlife protection:

  • 🟢 83 IN FAVOUR (Including Canada! 🇨🇦)

  • 🔴 12 Against

  • ⚪ 27 Abstentions

This marks a monumental shift in international law. For years, transnational wildlife trafficking—a $199 billion global black market run by organized criminal syndicates—has been treated as a minor offense. World leaders have now formally recognized that environmental crime is serious, organized transnational crime, requiring coordinated global law enforcement.

Canada Shifted Its Stance – And Your Voices Helped Drive It

What began as a Canadian campaign quickly expanded into a worldwide public action initiative. Partnering with World Elephant Day (Give Wildlife Crime The Severity That It Deserves), Elephanatics scaled our outreach globally so people anywhere in the world could email our government leaders directly and demand action.

The result? Canada didn’t just vote IN FAVOUR in Vienna—the Canadian delegation delivered a strong official statement pledging support for robust international legal frameworks targeting environmental syndicates.

To every single advocate who sent a letter, shared a post, or brought this issue into their classroom: thank you. Your voice made a direct impact on Canadian foreign policy.

What Happens Next? The 2-Year Negotiation Window (2026–2028)

Winning the vote at UNTOC COP13 in Vienna opened the door for global leaders and legal experts to do what they do best.

Over the next two years, the newly established UN Ad Hoc Committee—led by key champion nations like Brazil and supported by legal experts—will draft the official treaty text ahead of COP14 in 2028.

During this technical drafting phase, international experts and coalitions will focus on:

  1. Closing Legal Loopholes: Establishing universal legal definitions, cross-border enforcement protocols, and extradition guidelines to target environmental syndicates.

  2. Amplifying Civil Society: Working with global coalitions like the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime (GIEWC) to submit expert recommendations to drafting committees.

  3. Maintaining Momentum: Encouraging participating nations to stay committed to a strict, enforceable final agreement.

How Elephanatics Will Keep You Updated

Our major public campaign drive reached its milestone victory with the Vienna vote. As diplomats and legal experts take over the technical drafting phase, Elephanatics will pivot to a monitoring, reporting, and amplifying role.

We will track the negotiation rounds, share updates from leading coalitions like GIEWC, and keep our community informed as this historic treaty takes shape between now and 2028.

How You Can Stay Involved:

  • 📧 Subscribe to Our Newsletter: Get periodic, behind-the-scenes updates as treaty negotiations progress between now and 2028.

  • 🍎 Teachers & Educators: Our UNTOC Civic Action Toolkit is still available! It serves as a real-world case study showing students how citizen engagement directly influences global policy.

  • 📲 Follow Us: Stay connected with us on social media for real-time policy alerts.

Together, we have shown that public advocacy works. Thank you for standing with us to secure a safer future for elephants, wildlife and our planet.

Elephanatics Team

Thank You! Our UNTOC Wildlife Crime Campaign Reaches Its Milestone

Published on by elephanatic

On October 9th, our joint campaign with World Elephant Day, ‘Give Wildlife Crime The Severity That It Deserves,’ officially closed its letter-writing drive.

We would like to thank every educator, advocate, student, and supporter who took thirty seconds to email their Member of Parliament, share our posts, or sign our petition.

Because of your action, Canadian ministers and MPs have received an unmistakable message: Canadians are asking their parliamentary members to support a legally binding Wildlife Crime Protocol to strengthen international laws and close the legal loopholes that allow organized crime to exploit global wildlife.

Why This Campaign Mattered: Bridging Global Policy with Local Communities

As highlighted in recent investigative reporting by Mongabay, Canada’s current import framework leaves critical gaps. Under existing laws, importers are not consistently required to prove the legal origin of wildlife at our borders.

Former Canadian Director General of Wildlife Enforcement Sheldon Jordan put it bluntly: under current legal frameworks, import bans are “hardly worth more than the paper they’re written on.” In short, if a species isn’t explicitly listed under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), Canadian border officers cannot legally stop a shipment—even if it was poached or taken illegally from another country. Without mandatory proof of legal origin at our borders, Canada unwittingly acts as a safe harbor for illicit wildlife trade.

This isn’t just an abstract overseas issue—it directly impacts Canadian communities. As featured in our recent publication in the Surrey Now-Leader:

“Across Surrey, residents and local business owners are feeling the weight of rising property crime, gang activity, and illicit trade. Wildlife trade is at the heart of transnational organized crime… A protocol to protect international wildlife is key to cracking down on transnational crime in our own backyards.”

Our campaign demanded a structural, international solution to address both local safety and global conservation:

  1. A Dedicated UNTOC Protocol: Adding a fourth protocol under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to target wildlife trafficking syndicates.

  2. Mandatory Cross-Border Verification: Closing legal loopholes so illegal shipments cannot hide behind weak regional laws.

  3. Law Enforcement Severity: Giving enforcement agencies the global intelligence tools needed to freeze criminal assets and dismantle wildlife trafficking networks.

What Happens Next?

While the letter-writing window for this campaign phase has closed, our policy work is just beginning.

Elephanatics is compiling and submitting the letters gathered through this joint initiative with World Elephant Day directly to Canadian decision-makers ahead of the UNTOC Conference of the Parties (CoP13) meetings this month. We are ensuring ministers and MPs hear clearly that their constituents want Canada to lead—not follow—on global environmental justice and international wildlife protection.

Stay Connected
Our educational toolkits and advocacy resources remain live on our site:

  • 🍎 Educators & Parents: You can still access our free UNTOC Education Toolkit to bring conservation policy into the classroom.
  • 🐘 Stay Informed: Subscribe  to receive updates as UNTOC negotiations progress!

The drive to protect global wildlife doesn’t stop here. Thank you for standing with us to make wildlife crime a global priority.

— The Elephanatics Team

Listening to the Voice of Nature: Why Love Requires Law

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"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."
Mother elephant with her calf.

When you look into the eyes of a wild elephant, you get an overwhelming sense of your own humility. During a trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara, a matriarch charged our jeep, stopping just three feet away. In that heart-stopping moment, our eyes met—a stark reminder that we are in their world, and the only way to truly protect nature and wildlife is to listen to it.

Today, that protection is failing on a global scale. Transnational crime syndicates generate $199 billion annually through illegal wildlife trafficking—often operating through the same organized networks that smuggle weapons, illicit drugs, and human beings, taking advantage of weak laws and low penalties.

Elephanatics and World Elephant Day have collaborated to rally Canadians to demand our government support a binding Wildlife Crime Protocol under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). With crucial discussions unfolding at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) this September and leading directly into the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) in Vienna this October, your local Member of Parliament needs to hear from you today.

🚨 TAKE 30 SECONDS TO EMAIL YOUR MP NOW 🚨 

  • Click Here to Send the English Letter
  • Cliquez ici pour envoyer la lettre en français

(Your letter is automatically formatted and sent directly to your local Member of Parliament based on your postal code.)

Why We Need Action Ahead of CCPCJ & UNTOC COP13

Today, transnational wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise. Poachers and organized syndicates exploit legal loopholes across borders, pushing vulnerable species toward extinction worldwide because international law continues to treat wildlife crime as a minor offense.

After an eight-year campaign, Elephanatics successfully helped push through strict new regulations to end Canada’s trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn in 2024. Now, we must finish the job on the global stage.

A legally binding UNTOC Protocol will:

  • Close Legal Loopholes: Harmonize global laws so traffickers cannot hide behind weak borders.

  • Target Syndicates: Give law enforcement cross-border intelligence tools to freeze cartel assets.

  • Impose Severe Penalties: Treat wildlife crime with the exact same legal severity as human, arms, and drug trafficking.

Stand With Us Before the Fall UN Summits

I will never forget the moment nature challenged me to respect its voice. Now, decision-makers in Ottawa need to hear yours.

👉 Click Here to Email Your MP in English

👉 Cliquez ici pour envoyer la lettre en français

Thank you for taking action today. Every single letter brings us one step closer to real justice.

Fran Duthie

President, Elephanatics Foundation

 

#EarthDay2026

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An Economy for Elephants: Thriving in a Biodiverse World

By Tessa Vanderkop, Director of Elephanatics

Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources.

On this Earth Day, I find myself looking back at a time when the state of our world—and the slow elimination of elephants—felt like a reason only for tears. For years, I held a deep love for these intelligent, social, and ecologically vital beings, yet the problem always felt too vast for one person to change.

The statistics are horrifying and by now well known.  Every 15 minutes an elephant is poached for its ivory (15,000 to 20,000 annually). The precipitous population decline from approximately 1.3 million in 1970s to 350,000 today puts them at risk of extinction within the our generation.

When the team at Elephanatics and I co-led the Ivory-Free-Canada campaign, it took years of collective effort to tighten Canada’s outdated ivory regulations. That dedication paid off in November 2023 when the government announced historic amendments to the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations (WAPTR). Enacted on January 8, 2024, these new laws effectively closed Canada’s borders to the import and export of raw ivory and rhino horn, and finally banned the importation of hunting trophies.

It was a meaningful victory, but a sobering one.

Because these kinds of wins,  as important as they are, remain fundamentally insufficient in the face of a much larger crisis.

A landmark 2019 report from the United Nations found that over one million species are now at risk of extinction. Human activity has altered 75% of terrestrial environments and 40% of marine ecosystems. We are degrading soils, polluting waterways, and pushing critical systems toward collapse. In the past two decades alone, half of the world’s coral reefs have been lost.

Elephants are not disappearing in isolation. They are part of a much broader unraveling with scientists warning that we’re approaching a tipping point toward potential collapse.

When we look closely at the threats facing elephants, poaching, habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and fragmentation, we begin to see that something much larger is happening. They are symptoms of the same underlying system: an economy built on extraction.

The very nature of our economy is based on extractive practices, known as the “take, make, waste” capital economy that focusses on profit as the key indicator of success.   If we take elephants as an example, the quadruple threats of biodiversity loss, human wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation and poaching we can see more clearly that the economic system that we created serves the profit goals primarily of shareholders and boards and not the greater good of people and planet. The very resources that fuel this economy are limited and this shortsightedness has left us in a mess of our own making.

A redesign of our economic system is desperately required. Economic systems are created by humans and can be reengineered to align with the well-being of all.  The good news is the “well-being” or “purpose” economy is already well underway.

A purpose economy is an economy powered by the pursuit of long-term well-being for all in which business and regulatory and financial systems foster an equitable, flourishing, resilient future.

The Canadian Purpose Economy Project was founded for exactly this reason. As we work with adjacent movements in the circular economy, clean energy transition and the wellbeing economy we can see the offramp to the   legacy economic system (current system)  that has fueled the climate and biodiversity crisis, fostered inequality, war and global instability.

Can we staunch the bleeding before it’s too late? The work that so many do to enact measures and regulations will and can help. But it won’t change the flawed foundations on which we have built the modern economy. The work I do in the purpose economy is fueled by my passion to save the world’s elephants. Let’s re-imagine an economic system where humans, our beautiful planet and yes, elephants can thrive for now and future generations

People driving change are ordinary everyday people finding something they’re passionate about and deciding to take small extraordinary steps every day to try to make a difference.

It often starts by recognizing what you are incredibly passionate about, and understanding what your unique strengths are to help advance your cause.

What are your strengths and what moves you to make the world a better place?

Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources.

🐘 Elephanatics December Newsletter 🎁

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"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."

Tis the Season!🎄

“Let us strive to learn from the past
Dare to live in the present
And have the courage to plan for the future!” 

As we venture into the Christmas Season we have some good news we want to share with you!

📢 Victory for Responsible Conservation: Rewilding Guidelines Published!

We are thrilled to celebrate a massive achievement led by our Director, René Beyers, at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. After dedicated work and advocacy, the crucial Rewilding Guidelines have been officially published! These guidelines are vital for ensuring that conservation and reintroduction efforts are ethical, responsible, and effective, setting a high standard for global biodiversity initiatives. René’s hard work has cemented Elephanatics’ leadership in science-based conservation policy.

📝 A Voice for Elephants at CITES-CoP20

Some great news coming out of the CITES-CoP20 being held in Uzbekistan right now!  CITES-CoP20  delivered a crucial victory for wildlife! Elephanatics, with our coalition partners, successfully urged the Canadian delegation to oppose Proposals 13 and 14, which sought to re-open commercial ivory trade. Critically, the strong international stance was maintained, blocking all attempts, including Namibia’s proposal 13, to reopen the international ivory and rhino horn trade. This is great news for elephants! 🐘:) 

✨ Good News: Amboseli’s Elephants are Thriving!

We were delighted by the recent reports confirming a significant increase in the elephant population in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park! This positive trend is a beacon of hope and a testament to the hard work of conservation partners, rangers, and local communities who protect this vital ecosystem. Every successful breeding season and every protected herd reinforces the mission we all share.

📚 New Lesson Plan for Educators!

We are excited to announce the launch of a new educational resource for teachers and educators: “Giants and Guardians: A Global Conservation Comparison.” This lesson plan is designed for Grades 6-8 and compares elephant conservation challenges in Africa with parallel issues facing iconic wildlife in Canada and the United States. We encourage all educators to review this resource and bring global conservation awareness into the classroom! Find all our lesson plans at elephanatics.org/education 

🎁 Shop & Save an Elephant This Season!

As you begin your holiday shopping, remember that you can support Elephanatics without spending an extra dime!

Visit our Teespring line today and purchase apparel, mugs, and more. 100% of every sale goes directly back to our conservation, education, and action initiatives, helping us fund the critical work you read about above.

Thank you for your continued support and passion for elephants. Wishing you all a safe start to December filled with laughter and joy for the festive season, and may the New Year bring continued success and prosperity for you all!

“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” Charles Dickens 

The Elephanatics Team 🎁🎄

 

Elephanatics Foundation - Fighting elephant poaching and transnational wildlife crime through the UNTOC Protocol

🐘 Elephanatics | November 2025 Newsletter

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November: The Global Battle for Elephants is On!

 Support Through Giving Tuesday December 2nd

"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."Photo credit – Francine Lebel-Carruthers

Greetings from the herd at Elephanatics!

For over a decade, we at Elephanatics Foundation have been powering bold elephant advocacy across Canada and Africa. Our mission is clear and drives everything we do: educate, conserve, and take action for elephants and the ecosystems they inhabit.

Why Elephants Matter

How We Take Action: From Savanna to Policy Table

  • Frontline Conservation: Our sustained partnership with the Mara Elephant Project  (MEP) in Kenya connects your support to life-saving work, including funding anti-poaching patrols, utilizing GPS collars for real-time tracking, and implementing human-elephant conflict mitigation strategies.
  • Historic Policy Win: We lead influential policy campaigns — for example, the Ivory-Free Canada coalition that successfully implemented a historic ban on the elephant ivory trade in Canada in November 2023. Read more here
  • Public Awareness: We provide educational resources and raise public awareness, making elephant protection a cause people can engage with, not just observe. Find resources here
  • Fundraising & Amplification: We actively fundraise for specific, high-impact conservation needs (like our World elephant Day support for MEP’s Loita Forest project). Critically, for Giving Tuesday on December 2nd, we will amplify MEP’s urgent field work across our channels, encouraging our supporters to donate directly here to their frontline efforts.

What’s Coming Up: CITES CoP20

From November 24 to December 5, 2025, representatives from 185 countries will gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan for the 20th meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Elephanatics Foundation has submitted a position letter to Canada’s Scientific Management Authority outlining opposition arguments to Proposals by African countries wanting to reopen the ivory trade. The cost to elephants for any renewed trade would be catastrophic, as a legal market would inevitably provide cover for illegal poaching, creating a devastating surge in demand that would once again drive elephant populations toward extinction.

Ongoing Policy Work

We continue to work in collaboration with other global NGOs, sending letters to MPs and Federal Ministers regarding the urgent need for an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is scheduled to take place in October 2026 in Vienna, Austria. We will continue to advocate on this critical topic more aggressively.

A Final Call to Action

Elephanatics Foundation is turning the tide for elephants — from classrooms in Canada and the US to the savannas of Africa — by merging education with on-the-ground conservation and policy power. With the global spotlight shifting to the critical negotiations at CITES CoP20 this November, the time to support organizations working against the reopening of the ivory trade is critical. This makes Giving Tuesday (December 2nd) an excellent time to provide the vital funds these organizations need to continue their advocacy work and protect the future of the species. Donate directly to MEP’s frontline efforts here.

Thank You

We thank you for being a committed Elephanatics follower. Whether through sharing our posts or donating on Giving Tuesday, December 2nd, you are a vital partner in our fight to secure a future free of the ivory trade. We are deeply grateful for your continued advocacy and support.

🐘 The Elephanatics Team 

Don’t forget to follow us on our other social media platforms: https://linktr.ee/elephanatics

 

Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources.

World Elephant Day is August 12th

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"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."

Until August 12th, every dollar you donate to Mara Elephant Project through this fundraiser will be matched by Elephanatics up to a total of $1200!

World Elephant Day is a day that brings the world together to help elephants. This year Elephanatics is partnering with the Mara Elephant Project for WED to raise awareness and funds for the Loita Forest that forms the eastern part of the Greater Mara Ecosystem and is home to not just elephants, but many rare species. The virgin, old-growth, afro-montane forest is one of the most beautiful and intact forests in East Africa. The forest faces significant threats, particularly from current subdivision of communal to private title deed ownership. This subdivision is causing land use change which accelerates the destruction of the forest jeopardizing the wildlife residing within and the surrounding rangelands. Importantly, the rangelands serve as crucial protective buffers and movement corridors for elephants and other wildlife.
A unique opportunity is available for MEP to purchase 1,000 acres or 100 high-value parcels adjacent to the forest core, near wetlands or within corridors, to put into a Conservation Land Trust. Owning these parcels would create a figurative mote that surrounds the 58% of the forest that is community owned, less inhabited, but still at risk of destruction. It also ensures MEP jurisdiction in perpetuity providing a permanent barrier where MEP can enforce forest protection effectively blocking illegal habitat destruction activity from reaching the 58% of the forest.
Their goal is to raise $100,000 in August, which would take them over halfway toward their project funding goal in 2025.
Your much needed donations will be matched and will fund critical activities to protect this area.
We thank you for your continued support. Please donate at: rb.gy/7k17mg
Mara Elephant Project USA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the efforts of Mara Elephant Project to protect elephants and their habitats across the Greater Mara Ecosystem in Kenya.
Visit their website at https://maraelephantproject.org for more information.
Thank you.
The Elephanatics Team

Elephanatics Newsletter July 2025

Published on by elephanatic

The Elephant Days of Summer!

Summer is here, a time for relaxation and reflection.  Here are some wins and good news on our radar for our elephant lovers!

The Fran Duthie African Elephant Conservation Scholarship application for 2025 is now open and will be administered by the Mara Elephant Project. Accepting applications until the end of July, this scholarship provides financial support, and hands-on training for Kenyan students. The scholarship is intended for students pursuing conservation or a related field. The goal of this scholarship is to provide financial support to Kenyan nationals acquiring a technical certificate, undergraduate or postgraduate degree in an area related to conservation and the protection of wildlife. Alongside the financial support, this scholarship will provide practical experience to the scholar during their studies by undertaking a 1-month internship with a Kenyan conservation organization. 

Apply today -> https://buff.ly/haSKLIw

We’re thrilled to share that The Mara Elephant Project is currently hosting recipient Mary Wangari at HQ  for a one-month internship. Read more here.  

It takes a village! A big elephantine thank you to Vegan Supply for once again letting us be their ‘jar donation’ recipient for the month of June. With their support we were able to raise funds to support our education and conservation programs. Vegan Supply is one of North America’s largest vegan online marketplaces.

Mark Your Calendars! August 12th is World Elephant Day!

#worldelephantday is a day that brings the world together to help elephants. This year Elephanatics is partnering with the Mara Elephant Project for WED to raise awareness and funds for the Loita Forest that forms the eastern part of the Greater Mara Ecosystem and is home to not just elephants but many rare species. The virgin, old-growth, afro-montane forest is one of the most beautiful and intact forests in East Africa. The forest faces significant threats, particularly from current subdivision of communal to private title deed ownership. This subdivision is causing land use change which accelerates the destruction of the forest jeopardizing the wildlife residing within and the surrounding rangelands. Your much needed donations will be matched and will fund critical activities to protect this area. Donate here. 

Advocacy Alert

Working in collaboration with other global NGOs the Elephanatics team has sent letters to MPs and Federal Ministers regarding the urgent need for a global agreement, taking the form of an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Supporting the work of Global Initiative to end Wildlife Crime, Elephanatics will continue to engage and advocate for urgent action to be taken to bring to fruition a global treaty to combat the illegal trade by integrating offences into international criminal law. Read more here.

Fun Fact!

How can you tell the difference between elephant and mammoth ivory? To save elephant populations from extinction, the international community banned the sale of their ivory—but selling mammoth ivory remains legal, and the two are difficult to tell apart, especially for non-experts. This leaves a possible loophole for sellers of poached ivory to exploit. Now stable isotope analysis could provide a cheap, rapid option to speed up sample screening and stop the sale of elephant ivory! Read more here.

(Photo credit: Unsplash CCo Public Domain)

Enjoy the rest of the summer everyone!

Elephanatics Team

Elephanatics May 2025 Newsletter

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A Gentle Rumble from Elephanatics 

Greetings Elephant Enthusiasts!

In Vancouver, the days are getting longer, bursting with spring green, and across the globe magnificent elephants continue their ancient journeys. Elephanatics works hard to encourage education about these amazing creatures within schools, the community, and online. We believe that understanding these incredible creatures is the first step towards protecting them. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of elephants!

This Month’s Focus: The Power of Memory

Elephants are renowned for their incredible memories, and it’s more than just folklore! Their complex social structures and survival depend heavily on their ability to remember vital information.

  • Watering Holes and Migration Routes: Elephants can recall the locations of distant watering holes and traditional migration paths, knowledge passed down through generations. This is crucial for navigating vast landscapes and surviving in challenging environments.
  • Social Bonds: They recognize family members and other individuals within their social groups, even after long separations. This memory underpins their intricate social lives and cooperative behaviours.
  • Threat Recognition: Elephants can remember specific threats, such as the scent or appearance of predators or past encounters with humans, allowing them to react appropriately and protect themselves and their young.
  • Learning and Adaptation: Young elephants learn essential survival skills by observing and remembering the actions of their elders, highlighting the importance of matriarchal knowledge.

Did You Know? Studies have shown that elephants can even differentiate between the voices and scents of different human groups, potentially remembering those who pose a threat versus those who are harmless.

Conservation Corner: Understanding Habitat Loss

One of the biggest threats facing elephants today is the loss and fragmentation of their natural habitats. This month, we want to shed light on why this is so critical:

  • Shrinking Spaces: As human populations grow and land is converted for agriculture, infrastructure, and development, the areas available for elephants to roam freely are shrinking.
  • Increased Conflict: Habitat loss often leads to increased encounters between elephants and humans, resulting in conflict over resources and safety for both.
  • Disrupted Migration: When traditional migration routes are blocked, elephants can be cut off from vital resources like water and food, impacting their survival.
  • Ecosystem Impact: The loss of elephant habitat also has a ripple effect on entire ecosystems, as elephants play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. They are a keystone species.

Upcoming Events:

  • Our African Elephant Specialist, Dr Rene Beyers, will be giving an online presentation May 23, with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, VP of Education, Jesse Hildebrand. Don’t miss this exciting educational broadcast on Rewilding and its global importance in saving wildlife and ecosystems!

Wildlife Conservation Conferences / Symposiums coming up in May and July:

  • Canadian Environmental Crime Symposium (CECRN) (May 8th and 9th – 9am-5:30EDT) Launch of the first CECRN. Presented online or in person. Topics include transnational environmental crime, organized crime and environmental crime convergences, poaching, trafficking, crime journalism and more. Registration is free. https://lnkd.in/ere2pB2S
  • Global Conference on Environmental and Biological Science (GCEBS) (May 16-18, 2025): Taking place in Vancouver, Canada. This conference covers a broad range of topics, including conservation biology and biodiversity conservation. To be held at The University of British Columbia, located at 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3B7, Canada, in Room C215. 
  • Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association (July 27 – August 1, 2025): This conference focuses on wildlife health and its connection to conservation. Held at 720 Douglas St, Victoria BC, V8W 3M7, Canada.

What Can You Do? Supporting organizations like Elephanatics helps fund initiatives that work to protect and restore elephant habitats through anti-poaching efforts, community engagement, and advocating for conservation policies such as rewilding. 

Get Involved!

  • Share the Knowledge: Help us spread awareness by sharing this newsletter and facts about elephants with your friends and family.
  • Follow Us on Social Media: Stay up-to-date with our latest news, photos, and educational content on Facebook / Instagram / Threads / X and our website elephanatics.org
  • Join our community of dedicated elephant advocates! We need volunteers of all kinds! Contact us @ elephanatics.org/volunteer
  • Consider a Donation: Your contribution, no matter the size, directly supports our educational programs and conservation efforts. Visit elephanatics.org/donate
  • OR donate to the Fran Duthie African Elephant Scholarship. The goal of this scholarship is to provide financial support to Kenyan nationals acquiring a technical certificate, undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters or PhD) degree in an area related to conservation and the protection of wildlife. Donations go to maraelephantproject.org/donate

Thank you for continuing to be a vital part of Elephanatics community. Together, we can ensure a future where elephants thrive.

Until next time, enjoy the longer days and sunshine!

The Team at Elephanatics
elephanaticsinfo@gmail.com

Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources.

A Triumphant Recognition! A huge Congratulations!

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Group of African elephants in the wild

 

It is with great pride and excitement to announce that Dr. Jake Wall, co-founder of Elephanatics and EarthRanger, has been awarded the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographic Society Prize for 2025 – an honour recognizing outstanding individual achievement in the pursuit and application of geographical research, with a particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and environmental research studies.

“Dr Wall has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to create freely available geospatial tools for the benefit of wildlife conservation in Africa and beyond for the last 20 years. Jake’s dedication and passion for wildlife is matched only by his tireless efforts to provide conservationists with the tools and methods they need to better protect the natural world.His approach has been methodical and detailed focusing on the benefits, not only to the natural landscape, but the communities that live along side these majestic animals.

As Director of Research and Conservation for the Mara Elephant Project (MEP), Jake established a long-term elephant monitoring programme and developed an application to easily map landscapes, especially fences, which have become a major threat to wildlife movements in the Mara ecosystem. Prior to working with MEP, Jake worked as the Geospatial Scientific Advisor to Save the Elephants for 15 years where he developed a real-time tracking system to visualise GPS data from collared African elephants across the continent. Algorithms scanned the data and, among other things, sent alerts when elephants had moved unusually fast, suggesting panic, or had stopped moving which might indicate a poaching event. In partnership with Save the Elephants and the Allen Institute for AI, this system was expanded into EarthRanger, now used by over 600 sites across 74 countries and growing rapidly.

To complement EarthRanger, Jake is now leading the development of Ecoscope, which provides users with access to ready-made analytics from sources of publicly available remote sensing data. It allows researchers and conservationists to easily engage with the data and generate meaningful outputs, thereby turning conservation data into information to improve decision making, insight and the protection of ecosystems.”

Congratulations Jake! You are very deserving of such a prestigious acknowledgement. Team Elephanatics is extremely proud of all your hard work and devotion to protecting the greatest animal ever created!

The elephants trumpet! 🐘

EarthRanger EcoScope