Helping Elephants in Danger
IFAW works to protect elephants and other animals from cruelty and distress around the world.
In 1999, IFAW campaigned for the release of 30 young elephants that were
confined and subjected to cruel training methods by a wildlife dealer near
Johannesburg, South Africa.
IFAW joined with the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of South Africa and other concerned animal welfare groups in condemning the inhumane treatment of the elephant calves, which had been caught in Botswana and transported to South Africa to sell to zoos and safari parks overseas.
While some of the elephants had already been sold, 14 of the calves were finally relocated to Marakele National Park and released back to the wild.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya is closely associated with Tsavo National Park, Kenya’s largest wildlife refuge containing Kenya’s largest single population of elephants, currently numbering 8,500.
Much of the Trust’s work involves rehabilitating and caring for injured or orphaned elephants. IFAW has contributed to operational support and helped build lion-proof enclosures for baby elephants.
IFAW also supports a special Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) veterinary unit, which assists in rescuing sick and injured animals. The unit, made up of the country’s most competent wildlife veterinarians and animal capture staff, rapidly responds to cases of sick or injured wildlife. In rare cases where humans are injured by animals, the unit also rescues people.
Seventeen veterinarians from KWS, Uganda Wildlife Authority, and Tanzania National Parks were trained in diagnostic and disease investigation skills, humane chemical capture and handling of wildlife, anesthetic emergencies and other wildlife health issues.
In India, IFAW and WTI constructed a wildlife rehabilitation center on the edge of Kaziranga National Park. A national highway cuts through the park and every year the park is deluged with floods, so rescue work is critical.
A two-week-old baby elephant, stuck in water hyacinth in a pond, was rescued and returned to its herd after five hours of veterinary care – the first-ever rescue of its kind in India.
IFAW has funded fencing, a VHF radio set, and x-ray and other medical equipment for the mobile wildlife veterinary unit. This center will be India’s model of excellence in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.
IFAW and WTI also conducted a training workshop on the health and management of captive elephants in Jaipur, where tourist elephant rides are popular, and Sonepur, the largest elephant fair in the world. A team of vets examined the health conditions of 198 elephants and treated various "occupational" injuries.
Twenty local vets and mahouts were trained in the care of these elephants, and the team circulated conservation education material on the threats facing elephants in India.
IFAW joined with the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of South Africa and other concerned animal welfare groups in condemning the inhumane treatment of the elephant calves, which had been caught in Botswana and transported to South Africa to sell to zoos and safari parks overseas.
While some of the elephants had already been sold, 14 of the calves were finally relocated to Marakele National Park and released back to the wild.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya is closely associated with Tsavo National Park, Kenya’s largest wildlife refuge containing Kenya’s largest single population of elephants, currently numbering 8,500.
Much of the Trust’s work involves rehabilitating and caring for injured or orphaned elephants. IFAW has contributed to operational support and helped build lion-proof enclosures for baby elephants.
IFAW also supports a special Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) veterinary unit, which assists in rescuing sick and injured animals. The unit, made up of the country’s most competent wildlife veterinarians and animal capture staff, rapidly responds to cases of sick or injured wildlife. In rare cases where humans are injured by animals, the unit also rescues people.
Seventeen veterinarians from KWS, Uganda Wildlife Authority, and Tanzania National Parks were trained in diagnostic and disease investigation skills, humane chemical capture and handling of wildlife, anesthetic emergencies and other wildlife health issues.
In India, IFAW and WTI constructed a wildlife rehabilitation center on the edge of Kaziranga National Park. A national highway cuts through the park and every year the park is deluged with floods, so rescue work is critical.
A two-week-old baby elephant, stuck in water hyacinth in a pond, was rescued and returned to its herd after five hours of veterinary care – the first-ever rescue of its kind in India.
IFAW has funded fencing, a VHF radio set, and x-ray and other medical equipment for the mobile wildlife veterinary unit. This center will be India’s model of excellence in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.
IFAW and WTI also conducted a training workshop on the health and management of captive elephants in Jaipur, where tourist elephant rides are popular, and Sonepur, the largest elephant fair in the world. A team of vets examined the health conditions of 198 elephants and treated various "occupational" injuries.
Twenty local vets and mahouts were trained in the care of these elephants, and the team circulated conservation education material on the threats facing elephants in India.
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IFAW not only contributes directly to animal rehabilitation projects, but also strengthens local capacity in providing veterinary care for wildlife Photo © IFAW/ R. Janes
