EAI February eNews

Special Appreciation:
Sarah Shaw & Nature Defense Foundation

February is a month dedicated to the love and appreciation of others. This February, Elephant Aid International (EAI) would like to show our sincerest gratitude to Sarah Shaw, Founder of Nature Defense Foundation (NDF).

Sarah has been an advocate for environmental conservation and wildlife preservation since her early days of dog rescue and beach cleanups in San Francisco throughout the 80's. Still a Californian, much of Sarah's time is spent tending to her adopted horses, pigs, alpacas, and dogs. Over the years, Sarah's dedication to preserving natural habitats and wildlife grew into the launch of NDF in 2016 where she has focused the foundation's efforts in elephant welfare and rescue. "The plight of elephants in circuses and zoos and their need for natural habitats to retire are primary focal points at NDF." says Sarah. 

In 2016 Sarah Shaw learned about elephant foot trimming while in Nepal with EAI Founder Carol Buckley.
Sarah has dedicated herself to helping animals in need and EAI is fortunate to have her join our efforts. The NDF has provided grant funding to Elephant Aid International and continues to provide fundraising and outreach support on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, Sarah has shown us that she is not afraid to get her hands dirty! Late last year, Sarah traveled to Asia and participated in EAI's Elephant Foot Care Program, gaining knowledge about the health and welfare concerns of captive-held elephants in Nepal. Read more about Sarah and her experiences with EAI  while in Asia on our Elevisions Blog. 

We thank you, Sarah, for your commitment, generosity, and sincere desire to help elephants (and all animals) in need!

Elephant Refuge North America Construction


With each new day, Elephant Refuge North America's perimeter is lined with more and more fencing. After the land was purchased on December 14, 2016, the most important next-step was to construct 30,000 feet of perimeter/security fencing around this beautiful Attapulgus, Georgia property.

This 8-foot high steel mesh fencing is referred to as Deer Fence in the south, which is typically used to contain deer in hunting ranches. However, the purpose of this particular fencing at ERNA is for security, to prevent people from entering the property, and to ensure privacy for the elephants. Once the perimeter fence is complete, we will begin construction on the interior elephant corral. It will enclose most of the 850-acres and provide elephants with access to nearly the entire property.

We are thankful for our hard working construction team,Topnotch Fencing, under the skilled supervision of Michael and Pablo. Because of their commitment and dedication to quality work, we have made great progress.

Would you like to learn more about how Carol and her team are revitalizing the pastures for the elephants? We invite you to "ride" in the front seat of the tractor as Carol explains part of the process. Click here to watch.

Stay up to date on our progress with the fence and other renovation projects by connecting with EAI on social media.




UNCHAINED
A film by Alex Rivera &
Wake Up Films Production

UNCHAINED the documentary won the  2017 Animal Award at the Cinema Verde International Environmental Film Festival! Congratulations to the entire team that participated to make this project possible. The film's screening was followed by Q&A with Carol Buckley, whose work in Asia was the subject of the film. 


Author's Day

Thank you to Farragut Primary School in Knoxville, TN for inviting Carol Buckley as your chosen Author to present "Tarra and Bella: the Elephant And Dog Who Became Best Friends." Nearly 1,000 primary students filled the school's auditorium to learn about elephants and the interspecies relationship Tarra developed with a dog named Bella.

Did you know that Carol Buckley has written multiple books? These books include:  Travels With Tarra, Just for Elephants, and Tarra And Bella: The Elephant And Dog Who Became Best Friends.  Last year, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library chose "Tarra and Bella" as a permanent addition to their library for children turning five years old.
 




In The News

Construction begins at South Georgia Elephant refuge: "I really see this as a healing place for the elephants first," says Buckley to Valdosta Today. "We really want these elephants to live as natural a life as possible."

Fencing installed at South Georgia's elephant refuge: WCTV-TV interviews Carol Buckley at ERNA. The network shared that the piece they ran on ERNA in January was their most popular in history!

Elephants get special pedicures so they feel better: The Dodo featured EAI foot care initiatives. 


Ways you can help

Elephant Aid International has joined Evite's charitable network: Pledgeling. Organizers using the E-vite platform can now request donations to EAI instead of gifts. It is free to use and a great benefit to EAI!   Click HERE to learn more.


As always, we greatly appreciate your interest, commitment, and help.          We would not be able to do any of this work without your continued support.