NEW VIDEO: Elephants in Danger

Wildlife Alliance’s mission of direct action on the ground means that we can respond unequivocally and immediately when incidents occur in the rainforest.  As we reported two weeks ago, there have been several elephant sightings in villages in the Southern Cardamoms.  Now there have been ten confirmed sightings in the last month—historically, this is not a typical occurrence.  And now, elephants are being sighted every couple of days.  A large tusker damaged a home in the Prek Tanoung area.  The house owner had lived there for 33 years and had never encountered an elephant.  Several days later, a group of loggers came across a herd of five elephants in Kirirom 2.  The increasing numbers of elephant sightings are cause for concern.  Not only does it indicate active deforestation in the elephant corridor, but it means the chance of elephant killings is rising exponentially.  Check out the video to see how Wildlife Alliance is tackling the situation through increased patrols, the installation of camera traps, and a heightened presence in the area.  Wildlife Alliance addresses both deforestation and the protection of animals in the Southern Cardamom Mountain Range.  Our efforts over the last ten years have kept much of the illegal activity in the area at bay.  But it is clear that our work is never done.  Now more than ever we need your help to maintain and grow our activities on the ground.  Click here to see our original reporting on this issue and click here to see how you can help.

Wildlife Alliance on the Today Show!

Watch a great video of Chhouk, our elephant with a prosthetic leg, and interview with Care for Rescued Wildlife Program Director, Nick Marx, that aired on the Today Show on November 4, 2011.

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NEW VIDEO: Forest Destruction Drives Elephants Out of the Jungle

Recently, a private company received a permit to clear 27,000 acres of forest along Road 48 for a rubber plantation.  As work proceeded and more and more jungle was destroyed, Wildlife Alliance received word that herds of wild elephants were being driven out of the jungle and visiting the workmen’s camps.  Company workers at three different forest clearing sites reported that herds of elephants had been coming to the camps at night and staying until dawn. 

With this knowledge, Wildlife and Alliance explored the forest area further and found evidence of another herd was living 30km south of the encampments.  This herd lost their home base a year ago when a 20km stretch of rainforest along the coast was cleared.  This herd of 20-30 elephants came to entrance of Tanun village—located next to the area of cleared forest—last week.  Villagers reported to WA that this was the first time elephants had ever been seen this close to the village.  A large male with ivory tusks has been seen there three times in the last week and was caught on camera by one of the villagers.  With each reappearance, he became a larger threat to the village while also presenting as an easy target for poaching to sell his ivory tusks.  Plans were hatched to kill him.  That’s when Wildlife Alliance stepped in.

CEO Suwanna Gauntlett flew to the area to meet with villagers and company workers to get details on exactly what was going on.  She then met with the provincial and company military police as they are the most likely to perpetrate the killing as well as the only force capable of preventing it.  In a presentation made to company workers, WA reminded them that killing elephants is illegal and passed out flyers to help reinforce this idea.  For now, the situation remains peaceful.

The Southern Cardamom Mountains are home to one of Asia’s last seven remaining elephant corridors.  Wildlife Alliance’s work to end elephant poaching and preserve the corridor has led to a 98% reduction to elephant deaths—only four have been killed in the last ten years.  However, elephants have never been seen this close to human settlements in the Cardamoms before.  This means that deforestation continues and that elephant deaths at the hands of humans and due to loss of habitat could rise.  It is vital that WA continue its work protecting the forest in order to insure the survival of the Asian elephant in Cambodia.

Kouprey Express Hosts a Group from NBIC at Phnom Tamao

On September 16, 2011 the Kouprey Express took a group of 96 people from the National Borey for Infants and Children (NBIC), including orphaned and disabled children, staff, and international volunteers, on a field trip Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center.  For many of these children, it was their first visit to PTWRC and their excitement was palpable.  The visit included a tour of the whole facility and environmental games and art projects to facilitate learning about wildlife.  The day was hot and airless, and even though many of the children were physically handicapped and confined to wheelchairs, their fascination kept them moving.  They were eager to see all the animals and fearless when meeting Lucky, one of PTWRC’s resident elephants.  They got up close with her, petting her hide and hugging her trunk when she touched them “Hello.”  After a delicious lunch at the center, the kids participated in art activities and games.  The KE staff has never seen as many smiling faces as they saw in the NBIC group and a great time was had by all.  We look forward to hosting another group from NBIC soon!

Update from Teuk Chhou Zoo

Last month Wildlife Alliance was invited by His Excellency Nhim Vanda to help care for the animals at his private zoo in Kampot. Teuk Chhou Zoo needed to be completely upgraded to meet the needs of the animals living there. Immediately, new protocols were put into place regarding feeding, cleanliness, and general care. Those protocols are still in operation, and new initiatives are implemented as the need arises. For example, two boys have been taken on to collect discarded litter within the zoo – an eternal problem in Cambodia. The first month has not passed without its troubles, however animal and keeper welfare continues to improve and problems are dealt with as they arise.

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Learn About the Threat to Key Tropical Forest Corridor Presented by Banana Plantation

Wildlife Alliance is doing everything we can to positively influence the Cambodian government and Australian firm Indochina Gateway Capital Limited to not move forward with a…

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New U.S. Postage Stamp to Benefit Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife Alliance was thrilled to be at the unveiling last week of a new U.S. postage stamp whose sales will benefit the conservation of tigers, rhinos, great apes, Asian and African elephants, and marine turtles. The new “Save Vanishing Species” semi-postal stamp will allow Americans to show their support for the conservation of these endangered species and their habitats simply by sending a letter.

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Saving Sambo -- A Collection of Images From the Effort to Save a Troubled Elephant

Moving an elephant is never an easy job, particularly not when the pachyderm in question is uncommonly large and stridently aggressive. Sambo was definitely such an elephant: standing nearly 3 meters (9 feet 9 inches) tall, weighing 5 tons and having already killed 4 people, he was going to be a tricky fellow to rescue. Below is a pictorial narrative of a long day of facing punishing heat and endless depths of mud, careful planning and inspired improvisation, and most importantly a successful team effort to save a majestic but troubled animal that needed a second chance.

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Just in Time for Christmas! Threatened Elephant Successfully Moved to Rescue Center

Sambo might be a dangerous elephant-to be sure some of his actions have had deadly consequences-but we believe that he deserves a safe, secure and happy environment. On Christmas Saturday, Wildlife Alliance took a leading role in the effort to move Sambo from his shackled existence in a parched rice field to the comforts of a wildlife rescue center. Now he needs our help to get a permanent enclosure to call home.

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Elephant Rescue Efforts Are Underway

Wildlife Alliance is forging ahead this week to get a new home for Sambo, a bull elephant recently subdued after killing its owner and running amok in the Cambodian countryside. A transport cage is currently under construction and it is looking like Sambo will be moved to a state-run rescue center by the end of the week, giving a distressed and imperiled animal a second chance.

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Elephant Rescue – A Photo Narrative

Late Wednesday afternoon, Wildlife Alliance and the Elephants Livelihood Initiative Environment (ELIE) assisted the Forestry Administration in subduing a domestic elephant that had killed its owner and broken free earlier this month. The elephant had reportedly killed an additional three people in the past and was now raiding local people’s rice fields just ahead of the critical harvest. Action had to be taken to protect both the elephant and local people threatened by its presence. The following is a photographic narrative of the effort to subdue Sambo the elephant:

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Wildlife Alliance Takes Part in Rescue of Dangerous—and Imperiled—Elephant

The first major step was taken today in rescuing an enraged elephant that was threatening and in turn being threatened by a rural community in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu province. But more work needs to be done to ensure that this troubled creature gets a comfortable and secure home.

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