Close Encounters of the Endangered Kind

For fifteen episodes we have followed the trip of a lifetime of Tricia and Joe Berry as they visit some of the IEF-supported projects in Africa. We’ve heard about unexpected encounters with bull elephants and hippos, connecting with community members, being treated like family by project leaders, and so much more! Most importantly, we all got to feel like we were on this trip ourselves and saw the jumbo impact that IEF’s support is making for elephants and habitats. Below you will find the final episode of this conservation adventure.

Close Encounters of the Endangered Kind

Episode 15: These are Big People, You Must Let Them Pass

By Tricia Berry

We left the Paraa Lodge for our afternoon game drive seeing animals in every direction as we drove. Eventually we came upon the largest building complex we had seen yet. This was the brand new conference and training center built with funding from the U.S. Department of State.

The main buildings and meeting rooms were complete, but a crew of men were working on the tent areas which would serve as lodging for incoming trainees. This facility is the first of its kind in Uganda as well as regionally. It will be used to train security personnel, rangers and other government and non-government persons. We followed behind Mike as he inspected their work, and made suggestions to the foremen and workers on next steps. It was interesting to see our fun-loving Mike on the job and being quite serious making sure that everything was moving along correctly…CONTINUE READING

Conservation Chats: Your Direct Link to the Field

IEF’s 21st International Elephant Conservation & Research Symposium is returning to the United States for the first time in over a decade! Come to Fort Worth, Texas December 5-8, 2025 for 4 full days of talks, including conservation projects and research outcomes, new technologies in field conservation, studies in disease, reproduction and behavior, and other issues that impact the long-term survival of African savannah, African forest, and Asian elephants. Take advantage of the “Early Elephant” registration rate today!

For those of you who are elephant professionals, remember to get your abstracts submitted by July 1st! We want to hear about the latest developments in your work. Submit abstracts here.

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