Save the Elephants

On this very day in 2002, one of our research vehicles became collateral damage when two fighting bulls, Rommel and Abe Lincoln, were battling it out in Samburu National Reserve. For 20 years, the research vehicle has been the centre of attraction at our research centre and most recently at the Humboldt Forum exhibition in Berlin. Find out exactly how our 'elephant sculpted Toyota' came to be in this story by STE's Scientific Board Chair, George Wittemyer, who was one of the passengers inside the car when Rommel attacked https://bit.ly/3LsNunA. Photo: Frank af Petersens/Save the Elephants #elephants #elephant #bull #research #vehicle #toyota #samburunationalreserve #berlin #germany #northernkenya #throwback #TBT

No 'maternity leave' for elephants! Check out this piece by Discover Magazine about a recent study published by Oxford University and STE that reveals remarkable insights into elephant birth.

It’s a mammoth task keeping herders and their livestock out of National Reserves and it seems elephants share our frustration over the encroachment! WATCH as Martha from the First Ladies, joined by her young calf, chases goats away in Samburu National Reserve. Although poaching has reduced in Kenya, human-elephant conflict is a growing problem across the country. Lack of resources, tribal conflict, increasing human population, reduced grasslands and community insecurity are all important factors. To find out how YOU can help turn conflict into co-existence, sign up here https://bit.ly/31vtb4t. Footage: Matt Brierley/Save the Elephants #savetheelephants #elephants #elephant #coexistence #humanelephantconflict #livestock

We’ve been digging into our archives and recently found this adorable footage of Cyclone’s daughter getting to grips with her trunk by flinging plants around. Baby elephants will often find interesting things in the park, such as plants, and transform them into toys. These tiny pachyderms take a while to gain optimal trunk usage so behaviour like this helps them to hone their skills and familiarize themselves with their environment. Footage: Jenna Parker/Save the Elephants #elephants #elephant #savetheelephants #northernkenya #loveelephants #samburu

Looking for some conservation inspiration? Tune in to this year's Future For Nature (FFN) Award event, hosted by wildlife conservationist Saba Douglas-Hamilton, on October 30th. Registration details below!

Great news! Aolani from the Clouds has given birth to a new baby! Here she is with her new bundle of joy who was only a few hours old when this film was made on Tuesday. Welcome to the world baby! New life, new beginnings. All thanks to caring people like you for supporting elephants like Aolani and helping them feel safe enough to give birth. Do you feel a little better now about the future? And congratulations to Aolani’s surrogate ‘family’ - Ivory Ella who named Aolani (w...hich means beautiful cloud in Hawaiian) when she gave birth to her first child, a girl, in 2017. To find out more about elephants like Aolani, sign up here https://bit.ly/31vtb4t. Footage by Daud Abdi/Save the Elephants #elephants #newborn #baby #babyelephant #ivoryella #savetheelephants #loveelephants #northernkenya #newbeginnings

What does an African elephant look like from behind a GoPro lens? Check out this unique view of Samburu’s elephants by wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Robbie Labanowski, captured in the heart of Northern Kenya! #elephants #gopro #samburu #northernkenya #photography #videography #savetheelephants #stekenya

Back to school! STE's education team has been helping elephant scholars like Agostinella Ninaaget (left) and Jecinta Epule (right) get ready for the new school term. Students began returning to school last week following an announcement by the Kenyan Government. The phased reopening has begun with learners in their final year of primary and high school. Thanks to caring people like you, each and every elephant scholar will be covid safety compliant as they return to their new normal protected with facemasks and hand sanitizers. You can comment below to wish them all the very best in the run up to their final exams! Photos: Daud Abdi/Save the Elephants #education #backtoschool #elephantscholars #learning

THANK YOU for joining us at the virtual #WCNExpo yesterday! It was an amazing hour of elephant conversation with our teams from Save the Elephants and the Elephant Crisis Fund. Just in case you missed it or want to watch the presentation again, here’s the link to our talk. Please share far and wide! https://youtu.be/4Ne41iPBFtM #elephants #savetheelephants #elephantcrisisfund #conservation

How can elephants and humans live in harmony when Africa’s population continues to rise and vital wilderness areas are being carved up? In Nigeria, Tunde Morakinyo - Executive Director of Africa Nature Investors (ANI), and his colleagues are helping to tackle this problem. For the last two years ANI has been part of a partnership protecting the shy and elusive forest elephants (pictured) of the Omo Forest Reserve that are under extreme threat from rapid deforestation, habita...t destruction and human elephant conflict. Our Elephant Crisis Fund is funding Wild Planet Trust, working with Nigerian Conservation Fund and ANI to address these problems and help secure a long term future for this small but important elephant population. Join Tunde and ECF’s illegal wildlife trade expert, Dudu Douglas-Hamilton, tomorrow (October 17) for a unique presentation at the WCN Wildlife Virtual Expo. Register now. https://www.wcnexpo.org/ #elephantcrisisfund #WCNexpo #forestelephants #conservation #Omoforestreserve #nigeria. Photos: Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Elephant Initiative See more

Our vet team sometimes go to great lengths to treat injured elephants in Northern Kenya. Recently they spent several hours on foot through thick bush and in the scorching sun to treat two elephants in separate incidents. One adult male in Westgate Conservancy and one female in Buffalo Springs National Reserve were both treated for bullet wound injuries. The wounds were about a week old and most likely a result of human-elephant conflict. Happily, our Kenya Wildlife Service vet, Dr Michael Njoroge, says the prognosis for both elephants is good. Bravo to the team! Footage by Alfred Simcad/Save the Elephants. #elephants #savetheelephants #elephant #operation #treatment #northernkenya #vet

What does it take to track over 400 collared elephants across Africa in just a single tap? For the first time at the #WCNexpo stage on October 17, STE’s GIS Research Assistant, Nelson Mwangi will be speaking alongside our CEO Frank Pope about our conservation work in Kenya and beyond. They’ll also be giving you a sneak peek at our field operations in Samburu and Tsavo where you’ll also get to meet some of the elephants, so don’t miss out! Register here https://www.wcnexpo.org/. Photos: Alex Mbaiyo/Save the Elephants and Ryan Wilkie/Save the Elephants #elephants #conservation #savetheelephants

Look who it is! How lovely to see Lomunyak, who we helped rescue in April, thriving with his friends at Reteti.

"The long term future of elephants is going to be decided by whether we find ways for elephants and humans to live side by side in harmony. Important words from our CEO, Frank Pope who is giving a keynote lecture at the upcoming EMBL Science and Society Conference - Our House is Burning: Scientific and Societal Responses to Mass Extinction. Register for the event before October 14 2020. If you’re a high school student or teacher, join for FREE! https://bit.ly/36OvlzX #SciSoc2020

The virtual Wildlife Conservation Network expo kicks off today! Join our team and the elephants on October 17 for a special presentation from the field in Kenya and discover how we are helping protect elephants in Samburu and beyond! This is one you won’t want to miss! Register now at http://wcnexpo.org. #WCNexpo Photo: Robbie Labanowski/Save the Elephants #wildlifeconservation #elephants #Elephant #savetheelephants #SaveTheDate

Can you spot Redwood’s calf in this piece of footage taken in Samburu National Reserve? Hint...she’s the cheeky one seen here almost knocking her younger sibling over! Footage: David Lolchuragi/Save the Elephants #elephants #youngsters #calves #babies #savetheelephants #play #northernkenya #loveelephants #saveelephants