Statement about Paul Allen
Date Published
Save The Elephants is deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic news that Paul Allen has died. Paul had a heartfelt passion for elephants. To him they symbolised Nature, and he had dedicated a significant part of his enormous intellectual and financial power to aid the beings that he knew to be wide-ranging, sentient and vulnerable. Over our long relationship with Paul and Vulcan we had the excitement of developing new ideas with the ability to implement them in the field, often with hugely improved techniques. He was always seeking ways to alter the fortunes of elephants, by pouring resources and expertise into collecting vitally needed data on the status of elephant populations, through anti-trafficking projects and by producing moving films on the wild world. Thanks to his interest and energy our home-grown elephant tracking system grew into the Domain Awareness System that now helps defend protected areas across Africa. Paul was always deeply generous to his friends, no matter their species. He will be sorely missed.
Top image: In 2015, Paul Allen committed $100 million to fighting the Ebola crisis in West Africa. At the Ebola Innovation Summit in April of 2015, Allen emphasized the importance of collaboration in the fight. Credit: Courtesy of Vulcan Inc.