Elephants are among the world’s most intelligent, sensitive and social animals, possessing both empathy and family values. They live in close family groups that over the years have been torn apart by an epidemic of poaching across Africa that is fuelled by a growing demand for ivory. Tens of thousands of African elephants continue to be killed each year for their tusks.
Save the Elephants (STE), founded by renowned elephant expert Dr. Iain Douglas‐Hamilton more than 25 years ago, serves as a long‐term protector of elephants and as their voice and advocate on an international stage. Since the poaching crisis took hold, STE has led the charge to save Africa’s elephants both in Kenya—where their headquarters are based—and across the world.
STE conducts research into the ecology and behavior of wild elephants, providing deep insights into the challenges they face and forging science-based solutions for a harmonious future between elephants and humans. The organization’s research closely follows the wild elephants in STE’s northern Kenya study area in intimate detail, and through tracking elephants in various sites across Africa provides crucial details on the land elephants need in order to thrive. Save the Elephants is working for peaceful coexistence between humans and elephants and provides outreach around the world to help secure a better future for elephants.
Our research which records the births and deaths of Samburu's elephants is a particularly sensitive barometer and alerted the world to what is happening with poaching. We reached a tipping point in 2009 where deaths outnumbered births.Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton
Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s groundbreaking study of elephant behavior in Tanzania in the 1960’s paved the way for elephant research and conservation today. Intrigued by their intelligence, protection became Iain’s passion. In chronicling the sharp decline of elephant populations in the 1980’s, he was the first to alert the world to the poaching crisis and helped bring about the world ivory trade ban.
Iain is respected as one of the world’s principal authorities on the African elephant. He and his wife Oria have co-authored two award-winning books, Among the Elephants and Battle for the Elephants, and have made numerous films to make the world aware of elephants’ intelligence. Iain himself is an award winner, having received the Indianapolis Prize, one of conservation’s highest lifetime honors, the Order of the Golden Ark conservation award from the Netherlands, and the Commander of the British Empire.
Tackling Wildlife Crime
Reducing Conflict
Scientific Research
Expanding Education
Empowering Women
Boosting Local Economies
Guiding Policy
STE consistently participates in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to urge all international parties to unite in supporting ivory demand reduction and to initiate public awareness campaigns to reduce demand and stop the killing of elephants. In Kenya, STE also employs anti-poaching efforts to ensure that the gains made are long-lasting both for the elephants and for the communities that depend on the landscape they shape.
The Elephants and Bees Project reduces damage from crop-raiding elephants on local farms by taking advantage of the elephants’ instinctive avoidance of African honey bees. The project installs Beehive Fences as a natural elephant deterrent, creating a social and economic boost to poverty-stricken rural communities through the sustainable harvesting of “Elephant-Friendly Honey.”
STE founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton was the first to track elephants using radio collars and STE remains at the forefront of tracking technology, providing near-instantaneous observation of elephants via their GPS location system. This real-time monitoring system is being applied to identify poaching events, with alerts issued via SMS and email to wildlife management and enforcement, allowing rapid response.
STE encourages students to become ambassadors of their environment by supporting their education and improving the infrastructure of local schools. Through scholarships, conservation education, internships, and resource support in schools within elephant rangelands, STE helps young people work towards their dreams and also preserve their natural heritage.
In Sagalla, Kenya, a group of vibrant female basket weavers gathered after seeing a need to form an enterprise group to raise additional income for their families and to stop dependence on income from subsistence farming. Basket weaving has not only served to increase their household’s income but also provides a comfortable social setting where the women can bond and share their experiences and challenges.
STE’s Elephants and Bees program has become globally recognized for its ability to reduce human-elephant conflict while providing alternative livelihoods for farmers. Though bees are most famous for their honey (and ability to scare off elephants), beeswax is also a great source for producing candles, lip balm, soap, and body creams that can be sold as a boost for farmers.
During the peak of the elephant poaching crisis, Save the Elephants and members of the Kenya Elephant Forum sat down to draft a policy for the Kenyan President at the time, which eventually led to a new Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill. The bill and STE’s continued international efforts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have been instrumental in protecting elephants.
Tackling Wildlife Crime
STE consistently participates in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to urge all international parties to unite in supporting ivory demand reduction and to initiate public awareness campaigns to reduce demand and stop the killing of elephants. In Kenya, STE also employs anti-poaching efforts to ensure that the gains made are long-lasting both for the elephants and for the communities that depend on the landscape they shape.
Reducing Conflict
The Elephants and Bees Project reduces damage from crop-raiding elephants on local farms by taking advantage of the elephants’ instinctive avoidance of African honey bees. The project installs Beehive Fences as a natural elephant deterrent, creating a social and economic boost to poverty-stricken rural communities through the sustainable harvesting of “Elephant-Friendly Honey.”
Scientific Research
STE founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton was the first to track elephants using radio collars and STE remains at the forefront of tracking technology, providing near-instantaneous observation of elephants via their GPS location system. This real-time monitoring system is being applied to identify poaching events, with alerts issued via SMS and email to wildlife management and enforcement, allowing rapid response.
Expanding Education
STE encourages students to become ambassadors of their environment by supporting their education and improving the infrastructure of local schools. Through scholarships, conservation education, internships, and resource support in schools within elephant rangelands, STE helps young people work towards their dreams and also preserve their natural heritage.
Empowering Women
In Sagalla, Kenya, a group of vibrant female basket weavers gathered after seeing a need to form an enterprise group to raise additional income for their families and to stop dependence on income from subsistence farming. Basket weaving has not only served to increase their household’s income but also provides a comfortable social setting where the women can bond and share their experiences and challenges.
Boosting Local Economies
STE’s Elephants and Bees program has become globally recognized for its ability to reduce human-elephant conflict while providing alternative livelihoods for farmers. Though bees are most famous for their honey (and ability to scare off elephants), beeswax is also a great source for producing candles, lip balm, soap, and body creams that can be sold as a boost for farmers.
Guiding Policy
During the peak of the elephant poaching crisis, Save the Elephants and members of the Kenya Elephant Forum sat down to draft a policy for the Kenyan President at the time, which eventually led to a new Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill. The bill and STE’s continued international efforts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have been instrumental in protecting elephants.
This data helps define key habitats and corridors, identify potential poaching incidents, and gain insight on elephant behavior.
This program fosters academic talent, develops positive attitudes toward elephants, and creates wildlife ambassadors to help promote conservation.
$1,000 can keep one of STE’s bush planes in the air for nearly 3 hours conducting aerial patrols to check up on collared elephants and responding to alerts generated by STE’s elephant tracking system.
$3,000 will purchase an elephant monitoring collar, allowing STE to remotely monitor and protect individual elephants across Kenya.
A donation of any amount can build the capacity of STE’s Mobile Education Unit, which cultivates positive attitudes and behaviors amongst students toward wildlife.
