WILD

Elephant Death Rites

One of those small happenings where the elephant and the human worlds meet ….. Villagers from Wami told me about an elephant that had died nearby from natural causes (old age or disease). A group of about 6-8 elephants remained, standing around and apparently watching over the dead body which they covered with earth and branches. They stayed for around 4 days before moving on and leaving just one elephant who stayed for another 3 or 4 days before she left too. Read More

The Rain has arrived in Mali!

We are breathing a sigh of relief as it has been raining since the beginning of June and so far the rains are good! This year was very tough for the elephants. Usually they rely on the lake of Banzena for water at this time of year, but this year it was crowded with huge numbers of cattle and reduced to a muddy puddle. The cattle returned to the river Niger where water is plentiful, but the journey was too far for the elephants who needed water quickly and they cannot use water from the wells along ... Read More

Save the Elephant’s Iain Douglas-Hamilton Honored with Indianapolis Prize

Given every other year to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts involving a single animal species or multiple species, the Indianapolis Prize brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species.  This year, this prestigious award recognizes Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton for his life-long dedication to elephants in Africa. Read More

Healthy Elephants = Healthy People

“We don’t want the elephants to disappear, because if the elephants disappear, it means the environment is no longer good for humans,” Malian villager. This statement has stayed with me throughout the work of this project, and particularly as I travel between Mali and the UK, engaging with approaches to combat ecosystem degradation in both countries. It was in reply to a question I asked at the first village I visited in the Gourma. I was traveling with the field team in their search for elephants . The team would travel through an area asking local villagers whether there were elephants ... Read More

Breaking News – Save the Elephants Camp Hit by Floods

Save the Elephants Research Camp Hit by Floods Early this morning Save the Elephants (STE) research facility and Elephant Watch Safari Camp located in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, were completely destroyed by unexpected flooding of the Ewaso Ng’iro River, along with seven other neighbouring lodges. At approximately 5am this morning, a wall of water akin to a Tsunami surged through Elephant Watch Camp, catching tourists and staff unawares and sweeping away tents and facilities. It has been confirmed that camp owner Oria Douglas-Hamilton and guests managed to escape to safety by climbing to higher ground. Several members of staff were trapped ... Read More

Ivory Sell-Off Proposal Raises Concern for African Elephant Herds

The Republic of Tanzania and Zambia have submitted a controversial proposal to CITES, the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species, for a one time sell-off of over 80 tons of ivory.  The 15th CITES conference will convene from March 13-25th in Doha, Qatar and these two countries will need 66% of the 175 country votes in order to proceed.  Some other African countries support lifting the ban on sales, notably South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda and Sierra Leone are offering a counter proposal, calling for a 20 year moratorium on ... Read More