Greetings,

It’s Day 11 of our 12 Days of Beautiful Elephant Photos! This gorgeous guy is a tuskless male Asian elephant, also known as a makhna. The lack of tusks is a genetic trait in these elephants. It is possible that the poaching of elephants with large tusks has allowed tuskless males to reproduce more, having a larger representation in the population than naturally occur. Poaching affects the entire elephant population, not just the single elephant who is killed.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, the last in our series of elephant photos!

Transportation is very important for Rangers, Eco-Guards, Wildlife Officers, and Wildlife Protection Teams. They live and work in rugged terrain that is difficult on equipment. Having a reliable vehicle is essential to effective wildlife protection, but a properly outfitted one is expensive.

A reliable vehicle can mean the difference between life and death for injured wildlife, elephants under threat from poachers, and even for the patrolmen themselves. We need to make sure those protecting wildlife have the tools they need to get the job done.

A gift of $50,000 can provide tools like a new Patrol Vehicle for rangers to use on patrol, to attend court proceedings, to transport equipment, and to quickly respond to calls. There are many opportunities to support; you can support tools like binoculars, uniforms, and flashlights to help Wildlife Protection Teams.