I recently wrote about my first visit to the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC). I enjoyed visiting again on December 7th for the program “Saving Elephants – One Creature at a Time.”
The speaker was Carol Buckley, the founder, president, and CEO of Elephant Aid International (EAI). Ms. Buckley also co-founded The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Many people know of her through the famous 1999 CBS News segment, “The Animal Odd Couple,” about elephant Tarra and dog Bella.
Ms. Buckley describes elephants as “highly intelligent, sensitive, social, [and] soulful.” She has also observed:
… I can assure you that elephants desire companionship and freedom just as much as you and I do.
For elephants, family is everything. Births are joyous celebrations, and deaths are mourned. Adults share news and offer support while youngsters play together under watchful eyes. Female elephants stay at their mothers’ side their entire lives.
In an interview for a National Geographic article, “Life for Captive Elephants,” Ms. Buckley discussed the cruelty and poor conditions that captive elephants face. She explained,
Many captive elephants have been systematically brutalized by humans and, as a result, are shells of themselves. They are like prisoners of war, knowing that their day-to-day existence relies on their captors.
EAI’s Work
The mission of EAI is to improve the welfare of captive elephants and the people who care for them. EAI has been working in India, Nepal, and Thailand. Its focus includes the following:
EAI provides foot care for elephants, and trains mahouts (elephant handlers) how to provide proper care. Poor foot health is epidemic, and can lead to osteomyelitis—infection of the bones — which is life-threatening.
Training in the Use of Compassionate Elephant Care (CEC):
EAI trains mahouts and caregivers in the humane care and training of elephants. CEC focuses on positive reinforcement of elephants and the building of healthy relationships with them.
EAI is helping build corrals, to free elephants from the cruelty of their being chained. It collaborated on a pilot project in Chitwan National Park in Nepal that was completed in January 2013.
The corral accommodates six elephants that are used in anti-poaching patrols. Of these, three of the elephants were family members that were reunited. The elephants now live happier and healthier lives, and the project has demonstrated that elephants do not become unmanageable with the increase in freedom. EAI plans to help build more corrals in both Nepal and Thailand.
Wolves
Ms. Buckley’s presentation was followed by WCC staff member Alex Spitzer’s presentation on wolves. It was good to see him and ambassador wolves Alawa and Zephyr again.
It was also exciting to see a red wolf and a Mexican gray wolf, each part of WCC’s participation in the respective Species Survival Plans. See a video of the red wolf here.
Conclusion
Thank you to the WCC for giving us the opportunity to learn about elephants and EAI’s important work, and to learn more about wolves. Photographs of the event are here.
Learn more about the work of EAI through its website and Facebook page. The organization’s vision is beautiful and inspiring:
EAI sees a world in which society respects elephants and provides environments in which they can not only survive but flourish. Elephants who live in semi-wild and wild environments would be free of human harassment and exploitation; elephants in captivity would live as humane and natural a life as possible.
