Greetings,

Due to the global pandemic, sometimes it is hard to find good news in the midst of all the bad, but because of you conservation work is continuing the progress made before the world changed. To celebrate the good, below are encouraging updates from the field.

Meet Blue, one of the newest members of the Mounted Horse Patrol Team (MHPT). Blue is named after his striking steel grey coat which gives him an almost blue appearance and provides camouflage amongst the grey-brown heather found on the highlands during wildlife and habitat protection patrols. The Mounted Horse Patrol Team is responsible for protecting this UNESCO World Heritage Site, monitoring and protecting elephants, removing snares, addressing human-elephant conflict (HEC), and aiding injured wildlife. Support Blue and the other members of the MHPT!

When local herders discovered a young bull elephant stuck in the mud they called for help. The 9-1 and 9-2 Anti-Poaching Teams of Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenya, Loisaba Conservancy rangers, and the Kenya Wildlife Service responded and after many hours of back-breaking work to pull the elephant from the mud, he was able to walk away, tired but uninjured.

These same ranger teams responded with their canine unit on June 6th when an 8-year-old boy was reported missing in the Nasuulu Conservancy. After two days of searching, the boy was found and happily reunited with his family. The ability to connect with, and be trusted by local communities is one of the things that makes rangers in the 9-1 and 9-2 teams so effective. These teams have maintained zero poaching of elephants and rhinos in the NRT Conservancies for the last 6 months, increased community engagement and education, and assisted in rescuing 10 orphaned elephant calves now being raised at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. Help this work continue!

In June, a severely injured elephant in the Lower Zambezi National Park was spotted with a snare around its front leg. Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) veterinarians were notified while staff of Conservation Lower Zambezi alerted their Luangwa Patrol teams to look for the snared elephant and once spotted continue to monitor it while the while the DNPW Vets were mobilized. Now treated, this elephant has a high chance of survival. The Luangwa Patrol Teams are responsible for securing the increase in wildlife density coupled with a reduction in poaching levels and illegal activities in the park and an increase in arrests and prosecutions of poachers. Support this critical work for the Lower Zambezi region!

In Namibia, a 72 year-old old man attended a village meeting about Living with Elephants presented by the PEACE (People and Elephants Amicably Co-Existing) Project. This man was well known for chasing elephants in his pick-up truck with children in the back. During the meeting he repeatedly objected to most of the concepts being taught. It was clear that he wasn’t very fond of elephants, believing horror stories he had heard about elephants. The meeting included a follow-up visit to see wild elephants in the field to demonstrate what peaceful animals they are if they don’t feel threatened. When an elephant walked past the car, the man literally froze from fear. But by the end of the meeting, he was a changed man. He said what wonderful creatures elephants are and that they only cause trouble when humans “chase them around” with their cars or make them feel threatened in other ways. To this day he tells that story laughing. He stated that everything he was told about elephants throughout his entire life was a lie and that elephants are peaceful animals. Help us foster coexistence and change more minds!

Villagers in Nepal have named a dominant bull elephant in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve “Mahhana”. He leads a sub-adult male group and is an active breeder but also regularly ventures outside of KTWR and raids crops and damages property. When provoked he is extremely dangerous having killed over a dozen people. Recently, a villager was killed after shooting Makhana with arrows and fireballs. Ashkok Kumar Ram of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal is literally standing between life and death for many through his project to Strengthen Human Elephant Co-Existence in Nepal. Makhana is currently radio collared and his whereabouts are monitored in real time, allowing park staff to inform local people and immediately deploy a rapid response team to encourage him back into forested areas. Help us help them choose safety and life!