25 Years of Preserving Elephants

Thank you!
You helped us reach our goal of increasing our Facebook/META followers by 250 people. Why 250, you ask? This year we are focused on all things 25 because 2024 is our 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRESERVING ELEPHANTS. Throughout the year, we have incredible things planned to celebrate this important achievement, including this surprise for helping us reach out follower goal:

You may remember we held a logo contest last year, and this is the winning logo designed by Kirstin Cook! It features both African and Asian elephants with the subtle underlay of the continents in which they range under their images. We love the image and hope you do too!

To celebrate this launch, we have created a free calendar featuring this logo—one version with a herd of stunning African savannah elephants in Tsavo, Kenya, and another version with a beautiful baby Asian elephant. You can take advantage of this free download and print the calendar to put in your office, on your refrigerator, or anywhere you want to gaze at gorgeous elephants.

Let’s talk about how we got here. 26 years ago, IEF was just an idea. Frustrated by the lack of funding available for elephant conservation and research efforts, Michael Fouraker, current Executive Director of the Fort Worth Zoo, envisioned an elephant foundation that would provide funds and expertise to worthy projects. Michael believed that an organizational structure and business plan could be created for multiple elephant holding facilities with diverse missions to come together for a shared common goal of contributing to the long-term preservation of elephants.

In November 1998, Fouraker invited nine representatives from zoos, circuses, private elephant facilities and a university to Fort Worth, Texas to discuss how a foundation could significantly enhance conservation efforts. From this first meeting the International Elephant Foundation was born, officially incorporated in 1999.

Since then we have supported 204 projects in 41 countries protecting, preserving and promoting the peaceful coexistence with elephants for 25 years. We are proud of the positive impact we have made for elephants and that our donors (like you) have trusted us to be their partner in securing a future where elephants thrive! We take on this jumbo task with renewed commitment and hope for more successes in the next 25 years!