Carol Goes Online to Direct Emergency Foot Trimming Procedure
Question: How does EAI handle a midnight call from Nepal about an elephant suffering from a painful nail injury?
Answer: With a skilled team of interns and technology!
Regardless of where we are on the planet, when an elephant has a serious and painful foot problem, EAI will find a way to help. All it takes is trained interns, smartphones, a wifi connection and a live video app.
When Chanchal Kali, an elephant who lives in Sauraha, Nepal, required emergency foot care, EAI mobilized our network of interns and our friends at Direct Aid Nepal and Association Moey.
The team sprang into action:
- Donna Marshall, founder of Direct Aid Nepal (DAN), constructed a sand pit for Chanchal's comfort during the procedure.
- DAN provided the wifi so we could connect live via WhatsApp, enabling Carol to see the injury and direct the procedure in real time.
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Lena Quénard of Association Moey (AM) arranged for two of her staff to assist in the procedure: Sweta, AM's tour guide and EAI's foot care intern, managed the cell phone camera. She also translated for Sanjay, AM's mahout and EAI foot care intern, who took the lead trimming but speaks no English, assisted by Annette Hadaway, another EAI foot care intern.
- Finally, Donna provided Chanchal a steady stream of treats throughout the process.
You can watch a (non-graphic) video of the successful procedure
here. The team relieved the pressure on Chanchal Kali's damaged nail and her mahouts will continue to monitor her as she heals.
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Volunteer Days: Fun and Productive!
As winter maintains its grip on the northern states, you may be thinking about heading south for a spring break. Why not incorporate a Volunteer Day at Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) into your plans?
Spring is a perfect time to volunteer at ERNA: it's warm, sunny, dry and the bugs haven't come out yet. There's lots to do and working with a crew of motivated ele-lovers is a trunkful of fun!
Check out the video to see our volunteers in action!
ERNA Spring 2020 Volunteer Dates
- March 14, 28
- April 11, 25
- May 9, 23
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EAI Urges Nepal to Stop Elephant Polo and Safaris
EAI founder and CEO Carol Buckley was one of 50 international elephant professionals who submitted a joint letter to the Nepal Minister for Forest and Environment urging the government to stop elephant abuse during the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign. Unfortunately, the Nepal Tourism Board and Visit Nepal 2020 Secretariat continue to support elephant polo and safaris, in spite of growing opposition to the practices.
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2020 Thailand Elephant Foot Care Programs -
Postponed, but Expanding
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, EAI is postponing our Thailand Elephant Foot Care Programs until after monsoon season in the fall.
We anticipate that all of the facilities that have already signed up will still participate and, since we have more time to promote the programs, we expect to add even more.
The willingness of elephant owners to establish self-sustaining, in-house foot care programs shows that EAI's efforts to improve elephant welfare have taken root.
We invite you to become an agent for change by supporting EAI's Elephant Foot Care Program. We use donations to cover direct program costs, including educational materials, travel, housing, food and foot trimming tools. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference.
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As always, we greatly appreciate your interest, commitment and help. You make our work for elephants possible. Thank you!
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