International Elephant Foundation
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| Elephant Conservation Charity | |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Azle, Texas, US |
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Key people
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Deborah Olson, Executive Director |
| Website | elephantconservation.org internationalelephantfoundation.org |
The International Elephant Foundation (IEF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Formed by individuals and institutions, IEF is dedicated to the conservation of African and Asian elephants worldwide.
In 1998, Executive Director of Fort Worth Zoo Michael Fouraker envisioned an elephant foundation to provide funds and expertise to elephant related projects. Michael was a board member of International Rhino Foundation (IRF), and used the organizational structure and business plan of IRF as a template for multiple elephant holding facilities with diverse missions to come together for a shared common goal of contributing to the long-term preservation of elephants.
In November 1998, Michael invited nine representatives from zoos, private elephant facilities, circuses and a university to Fort Worth, Texas to discuss how a foundation could significantly enhance current conservation efforts. From this first organizational meeting the International Elephant Foundation was born. The IEF was incorporated in 1999.
The mission of the IEF is to support and operate elephant conservation and education programs both in managed facilities and in the wild, with an emphasis on management, protection and scientific research. Our organization is recognized by, among others, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Morris Animal Foundation and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a bona fide conservation organization. Since 1999, IEF has provided support to over 80 elephant conservation projects worldwide and over $3 million in direct financial assistance.
The International Elephant Foundation provides funding for a number of conservation projects every year both in Africa and Asia. Below are examples of projects that have been or are being funded.
The Tsavo ecosystem consisting of the Tsavo East and West and Chyulu Hills National Parks, South Kitui National Reserve, Taita and Galana Ranches (Kenya) and Mukomazi National Park (Tanzania) has about 12,573 elephants and has suffered from poaching. This project will increase the presence of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) security personnel through enhanced ground and aerial surveillance and enhanced intelligence information collection, identify sites that require new patrol bases and construct simple housing units at these bases.
Human-elephant conflict has escalated in this region and communities have become increasingly disgruntled, which may directly relate to poaching of elephants. To develop new tools to alleviate human-elephant conflict, this project trials experimental fences that use flashing lights to deter elephants from maize crops and investigates options for new cash-crops that elephants find unpalatable.
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Wikipedia