Save the Elephants

Train a farmer, protect an elephant and a livelihood

Elephants are being lost at an alarming rate because of escalating conflict with people. By making a gift today you could provide a farmer with training on how to use  STE’s Human-Elephant Coexistence Toolbox methods, to help them to live safely with elephants.

Send your gift before midnight 3 Dec to unlock the triple match – meaning your gift will go three times as far for elephants.

African Elephants Face Severe Decline Over Past Half-Century

A groundbreaking study released today reveals the alarming state of African elephant populations over the last 50 years. Both forest and savanna elephant  species have experienced widespread declines due to overexploitation and habitat loss,  mirroring the global trend affecting large-bodied animals.  The study was led by Save the Elephants, University of Washington, Wildlife Conservation Society, Nelson Mandela University, and WWF Namibia.

New Study Confirms Beehive Fences Effectively Reduce HEC

A nine-year study shows that elephants avoid beehive fences around small-scale farms in Kenya up to 86% of the time during peak crop seasons, helping reduce human-elephant conflict and increase farmers’ income. Published in Conservation Science and Practice, the research highlights the potential of nature-based solutions to protect both livelihoods and wildlife. The study was led by Save the Elephants in collaboration with the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenya Wildlife Service, and the University of Oxford.

Like Us, Elephants Have Names Too!

A groundbreaking study reveals that African elephants use unique “vocal labels” to address one another, akin to names in human communication. Conducted by researchers from Save the Elephants, Colorado State University, and ElephantVoices, the study recorded vocalizations from wild elephants in Kenya, uncovering these individually specific calls. Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, the findings offer new insights into animal cognition and language evolution.

The Elephant Queen: How a wildlife documentary inspired Kenya

A new study highlights that powerful nature films like The Elephant Queen, created by filmmakers Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone, and Etienne Oliff, can positively impact attitudes and support for elephants in rural communities. Sponsored by Save the Elephants, the study examines the film’s mobile cinema outreach across Kenya, revealing its potential to foster conservation awareness in marginalized areas facing increasing human-elephant conflict.

Mystery of Tuskless Male African Elephant Leaves Scientists Puzz

Save the Elephants (STE) researchers have identified what may be the first publicly documented case of a male African elephant born without tusks. This rare discovery, published in Pachyderm, defies genetic assumptions that tusklessness occurs only in females. The 13-year-old tuskless male, from the Hawaiian Islands family in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, was first observed as a calf in 2011 by STE’s Director of Field Operations, David Daballen. His tuskless mother, Kauai, raises questions about the inheritance of this unique trait.

Check Out our Human Coexistence Toolbox

As human-elephant conflict increases across Africa, farmers need practical, sustainable and affordable ways to peacefully co-exist with elephants without having to resort to violence. Save the Elephants has developed a unique ‘how to’ manual, the Human-Elephant Coexistence (HEC) Toolbox of tried and tested elephant deterrents to empower rural communities to protect their livelihoods from elephants. Built on the success of STE’s Elephants and Bees Project in Tsavo, the Toolbox is the brainchild of Dr Lucy King who heads up STE’s Human-Elephant Coexistence program.