According to World Elephant Day, elephant numbers have dropped 62% over the last decade, and they suspect that elephants could become extinct between 2030 and 2040. Approximately 100 African elephants are killed daily by poachers seeking ivory, meat, and body parts, leaving roughly 500,000 African elephants left.
The African forest elephant is currently listed as critically endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list. Estimates point to south of 100,000 species still alive. Just for the sake of comparison, back in the 1800s, there were 26 million African forest elephants. A striking contrast.
In a similar situation is the African savanna elephant. Although not as critically endangered, the African savanna elephant population is also dwindling rapidly, with estimates calculating the existence of 300-350 thousand species, down from 26 million in the 1800s. Once again, a tremendous difference.
As someone who lives in the West and lacks the bandwidth to be immersed in projects dedicated to elephant conservation and protection, donating to a charity is the quickest and easiest way to support elephants and other animal species on the brink of extinction. However, finding a charity you can trust is not that simple as unfortunately, some charities undertake dubious efforts to block the public from seeing what happens behind closed doors.
The best and most transparent charities for elephant conservation and protection include the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Big Life Foundation, the International Elephant Foundation, the Elephant Voices, and the Save Elephant Foundation. These charities are devoted to protecting elephants and their habitats, conducting research and advocating for policy changes that benefit elephant protection, and raising the importance of elephant conservation among local and international communities.
Whether you want to donate to a charity committed to protecting elephants from poachers and their incessant demand for ivory, advocate for conservation laws, grow back the elephant population, or wish to adopt a baby elephant, you’re sure to find a charity that meets your criteria. Keep reading to learn more about which charities specifically support elephant conservation and protection, how they work, and how you can contribute.
These Are The Top 5 Charities For Elephant Conservation and Protection
Below are our favorite charities dedicated to elephant conservation:
- The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
- Big Life Foundation
- International Elephant Foundation
- Elephant Voices
- Save Elephant Foundation
At the end of this article, we also share information to help you select the best charity to contribute to, and this can be applied to other causes you may be interested in. We also show you how you can best support these charities and how you can save some money by claiming tax deductions.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: Well-Rounded Foundation
The David Sheldrive Wildlife Trust (DSWT) was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her late husband, David Sheldrick, a Kenyan farmer and park warden in Tsavo – Kenya’s largest National Park, where David dedicated his life to protecting elephants, rhinos, and antelopes against armed poachers.
What they do
Operating in Kenya, the DSWT has a range of programs and initiatives, including the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants and rhinos, anti-poaching measures like aerial surveillance, and the patrolling of key habitats which sometimes results in the apprehension of poachers and other perpetrators. The Trust also engages in community outreach to raise awareness about wildlife conservation and also has a mobile veterinary unit that treats injured wildlife. To sustain their conservation initiatives, they also offer eco-lodging and safari experiences in the Tsavo wilderness, a strategy to make their initiatives more sustainable and less dependent on donations.
What they have achieved
Since it was founded, the DSTW has successfully rehabilitated and released 180 orphaned elephants back into the wild, and they currently have around 300 orphaned elephants that you can adopt for a single year for $50. DSTW’s program is one of the most successful elephant rescue and rehabilitation programs, if not the most successful. Another exciting piece of data is that from the 180 ex-orphaned elephants now living in the wild, 50 wild grandbabies were born and are now living in surveilled areas.
DSTW’s anti-poaching units that patrol key habitats in Kenya have, in 2021, arrested a total of 318 perpetrators, and confiscated a large number of illegal weapons, including guns and snares. They have also supported the dehorning of over 300 rhinos as a strategy to deter poachers. We understand that it is a rather controversial issue, but according to a press release from Bristol University, there is no evidence that dehorning black rhinos has a negative impact on the species’ reproduction or survival.
Currently, DSTW has 6 mobile vet units that have performed treatment for over 8,400 wild species, including 3,000 elephants. One of the ways they promote awareness about elephant conservation is by taking schoolchildren on field trips to Tsavo East and West National Parks, where they foster a love of nature and educate the children on wildlife conservation and the importance of these animals to the ecosystem. Every year DSTW organizes over 60 school trips while at the same time supporting local children through a food relief program.
If you want to learn more about their achievements, they have a page with field reports that is updated every month— which include anti-poaching, surveillance, and rescue reports. In addition, they also have annual newsletters that detail all the accomplishments that unfold every year. For us, this is a very transparent way to operate and it’s a big reason why we’ve placed DSTW first on this list.
Transparency ratings
Besides the transparent monthly field reports and the annual newsletter, DSTW is also highly-regarded by third parties such as Charity Navigator, where they have a 91% rating in terms of impact and transparency, and also Guidestar which has awarded them with a platinum rank in transparency.
How to contribute
You can support their efforts by making a one-off or monthly donation, or if you want to have more of an impact, you can also organize a fundraiser by hosting your own event. If that’s too much work, another way is to partake in one of DSTW’s upcoming events or learn more about elephants by engaging in their education programs. As we’ve briefly mentioned, they also have an orphan program, where you can adopt an orphan infant elephant for $50 a year and receive a personalized adoption certificate, a monthly email update on your orphan, a monthly watercolor by Angela Sheldrick, and also access to special content from keepers’ diaries to videos and photos. Pretty cool!
Big Life Foundation: Anti-Poaching Experts
The Big Life Foundation is a more recent organization founded by conservationists Richard Bonham and Damien Bell, and it focuses on a variety of conservation efforts in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem.
What they do
BLF seems to dabble on different fronts, but they highlight wildlife protection by casting a wider net of anti-poaching units that conduct extensive daily patrols to gather intelligence, as well as detect and intervene against illegal activity. Their Maasai rangers use hidden field cameras, night-vision, and even GPS technology to track and capture poachers and prevent habitat destruction. They also work alongside Kenya Wildlife Service and a network of informers nestled in local communities to prevent instances of poaching from happening. At the same time, they’re also working with local prosecutors to ensure that the perpetrators are punished to the fullest extent of the law.
According to BLF’s 2022 impact report for Q3, they have a total of 562 staff, including 360 trained rangers, 44 ranger units, 32 permanent outposts, 9 mobile units, 1 rapid deployment unit, 2 tracker dogs, 14 patrol vehicles, and 2 airplanes. This is what is emphasized early in the report, giving us the impression that they’re more on acting against poachers and other perpetrators.
However, the organization is also involved in mitigating conflicts between wildlife and the local communities, namely compensating Maasai livestock owners for a portion of the value of their livestock lost to predators, reducing the motivation for retaliatory killing in response to livestock depredation. Additionally, BLF also deploys ranger units to move elephants away from farms and help build crop-protecting fences to create boundaries between elephant habitats and agricultural areas.
They also invest in education by funding teachers’ salaries, providing scholarship funds to local students, and implementing conservation-specific curricula in classrooms.
What they have achieved
According to BLF’s 2022 Q3 impact report, the organization provided assistance to communities affected by drought through the delivery of food, water, and other consumables, including 1,030 bales of hay, 400 kg of food pellets, 2,000 liters of fuel for boreholes, and 24 water bowser deliveries.
In terms of wildlife protection and anti-trafficking efforts, BLF’s rangers have arrested 117 suspects, bringing the year-to-date total to 288 arrests. They also recovered 166+ kg of ivory and other animal parts, including animal skin, arrows, bird traps, bushmeat, charcoal bags, charcoal kilns, owl eggs, and sandalwood. 14 Arrests have also been made due to bushmeat and trophy possession. 113 snares were also successfully dismantled.
There was also an elephant injury reported, which received immediate treatment. Other injured animals such as giraffes, impalas, lions, ostriches, and zebras have also been rescued and treated.
BLF also has a Rhino Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) where they monitor and protect 7 Eastern black rhinos in the area— and fortunately, there were no rhino mortalities nor snares to be found. BLF has 66 rhino protection rangers, 10 dedicated rhino outposts, and 10 dedicated rhino units. There were 0 direct sightings (of poachers), 21 indirect sightings (via camera trap), and 24 spoor sightings. They’ve been dedicating more resources and building a more solid infrastructure to maintain the status of the IPZ and allow for the future translocation of rhinos.
Transparency ratings
BLF is extremely transparent. The information I’ve shared above from the reports refers only to achievements, but they also have information about how many elephants (and other animals have died) from natural or unknown causes. They don’t seem to sugarcoat their reports to make it seem like everything is rainbows and sunshine, which is something that we appreciate. BLF has a 96% impact and transparency rating on Charity Navigator, and they also a have platinum rank on Guidestar, which is deserved from what we’ve read in the reports.
How to contribute
You can help the Big Life Foundation by helping out financially through a donation, which can be done through their official website or by sending a check to their office. If you would rather help by volunteering your time because you have specific skills or expertise, then you’re also free to contact them to see if there are any tasks you can do. Another way you can help is by spreading the word about BLF to your friends, family, or social media followers, and maybe they’ll also be willing to contribute in some way.
International Elephant Foundation: Global Projects
The International Elephant Foundation was founded in 1997 by a group of individuals who had been working in the field of elephant conservation for many years and saw a need for a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to protecting elephants and their habitats.
What they do
Unlike the previous organizations, IEF is a global organization. They support a wide range of projects and initiatives in various countries, including African nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, as well as Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Nepal. They also work with zoos and other institutions in the United States, and other parts of the world to promote the care and management of elephants in captivity.
IEF is vested in protecting elephants in the wild and in captivity, but they do it by supporting research, education, and community development programs that promote the long-term survival of elephants. They’re not directly engaged in anti-poaching like the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or Big Life Foundation which are active very active on the ground, but they support conservation and research projects that study the impacts of poaching on elephant populations and develop strategies to reduce its threat.
They also provide funding to community development projects that seek to promote the lives of locals living near elephant populations and the coexistence between humans and elephants. For example, some of these projects are educational initiatives to inform children about the ecological importance of elephants and the threats they face, as well as solutions for coexisting with them.
It’s also important to provide the local community with knowledge to improve their livelihoods, so IEF also invests in programs that provide training and educate people on how to start their own businesses or develop specific skill sets that can be useful to the community, allowing each individual to become more self-sufficient. Other initiatives include helping build/maintain schools, clinics, or other facilities that may provide clean access to water and electricity.
What they have achieved
The International Elephant Foundation is another charity that takes an open-book approach by providing the public with annual reports — something they’ve been doing online since 2004.
According to the 2021 report, they have supported 20 projects in 13 countries across 3 continents, projects that have impacted elephants, local communities, and even other animal species. Given the variety of projects they’re involved with, it’s difficult to summarize every fact and stat achieved by each project, but we’ll try to provide you with some information about a few of their projects.
For example, a research initiative in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor (part of the Greater Tsavo Ecosystem) conducted a survey with 206 farmers and found that 84% blamed elephants for the majority of crop loss, 74% actively chased elephants from their farms, 5% attempted to harm elephants, but 78% did not receive any information on deterrents to keep elephants out of their crops, and 100% cited economic constraints as the main reason for not being able to build deterrents. This is a research initiative that effectively pinpointed a problem and visualized a solution that would improve the relationship between elephants and the community.
On that same note, there are research initiatives that measure the effectiveness of elephant deterrents by examining different combinations of deterrents and figuring out which ones are more effective, sustainable, and affordable— again, it’s really important information to ensure that families that are heavily reliant on crops for economic and food security are not affected by elephant raids.
There are many other projects that study solutions to protect and conserve elephant populations, from implementing migration corridors to educating local communities to engage in pro-elephant behavior, and even vaccine development against Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEH), which is the single largest cause of death for captive juvenile Asian elephants in North America and Europe.
Transparency ratings
If you want to know what the IEF is working on, we seriously recommend checking their annual reports as they’re quite thorough and include every single ongoing project for that year. IEF is also listed on Charity Navigator where they have a 100% impact and transparency rating. They also have a platinum rank on Guidestar.
How to contribute
IEF allows you to send a donation directly through their website or by contacting them directly. This can be a one-off or ongoing donation, and there’s also the option to donate stocks, securities, and bonds. You can also sponsor an elephant, which means you can get regular updates about the elephant your sponsor, behind-the-scenes access or special visits, an opportunity to name the elephant (not always), and a certificate of sponsorship or another form of recognition for your support. Other ways you can contribute can also be volunteering or just spreading the word about the great work that IEF does.
The Nature Conservancy: Climate Change
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization that was founded in 1951 by a group of scientists and conservationists who were concerned about the increasing loss of natural habitats and the impact this was having on all the forms of life that depend on them.
The organization currently has more than 1 million members and operates in 70 different countries. They’re specifically focusing their efforts on elephant protection and conservation, but their efforts to protect forests and grasslands are relevant to elephants.
What they do
TNC’s primary mission is to protect the lands and waters that are essential to life, in other words, they prioritize conservation efforts by investing in projects that protect and restore critical habitats such as forests, grasslands, and waterways, which are critical for the survival of many animal species.
Forests are critical for elephants and other animals that depend on them for water, food, and shelter, so their conservation is essential so that every species can continue to depend on their resources.
Climate change is one of Nature Conservancy’s primary concerns so they have initiated different projects that work to reduce carbon emissions and promote the use of renewable energies. Like forest conservation, this is another big-picture issue that must be tackled to ensure elephants and other animals can continue to have access to water and other resources vital to their well-being.
Oceans and marine life are also one of their main concerns— so part of their efforts also go into protecting and restoring marine ecosystems like coral reefs, mangroves, and coastal wetlands. They also work alongside fishermen, seafood companies, and governments to promote sustainable fishing practices, as well as reducing plastic pollution, and even establish marine protected areas that are set aside solely for the purpose of conserving marine life.
This issue is not as connected to elephants as forest conservation or climate change, but I thought it would be interesting to mention it— just for the sake of awareness.
What they have achieved
As far as elephants are concerned, TNC has built partnerships with organizations such as Honeyguide and Big Life Foundation to convene with local communities on how to better manage elephant corridors and develop more wildlife-based tourism revenue to ensure the long-term survival of elephant populations.
However, as a global organization, TNC funds many projects across dozens of countries, so its impact is widespread and affects different ecosystems. They have helped protect more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, and restore more than 25 million acres of degraded and damaged land.
If you quickly take a look at TNC’s 2022 impact report, you’ll be able to read about several projects focused on forest and biodiversity conservation, for example, one of the projects (called Kenya Vulture Conservation) supported the monitoring of 40 active white-backed vulture nests and 33 active Lappet-faced vulture nests, and has led to the rehabilitation and release of several poisoned birds back into the wild— with the goal of stabilizing the vulture population.
A different project in Peru (called the Sustainable Water and Land Fund) aims to implement climate-smart agriculture practices that promote sustainable water use and economic growth, and eventually share those practices with those in the agricultural community. To do this, a system of data-based decision-making was implemented, resulting in a 27% lower crop water footprint than the national average in Peru and 17% lower than the global average.
These projects do not directly support elephant conservation, but they’re still important nonetheless, and it’s a small sample of the impact that highly-scalable charities have.
Transparency ratings
TNC is also listed on Charity Navigator but it has a lower score than the aforementioned charities. It has an 87% (or three-star rating) when it comes to impact and transparency. And on Guidestar, they have a gold seal of transparency, which is a step down from platinum but a solid status nevertheless.
How to contribute
You can make a one-time or recurring donation to TNC through their official website. Alternatively, you can also become a member and gain access to special events and newsletters, as well as an opportunity to partake in some of their conservation projects. We also think that volunteering and spreading the word are wonderful ways to contribute as the act of donating your time is equally as meaningful.
The Elephant Sanctuary
As the name suggests, the Elephant Sanctuary is home to captive elephants who are retired from zoos, circuses, or other forms of captivity. It’s been around since 1995 and it’s one of the two elephant sanctuaries in North America.
What they do
The Elephant Sanctuary is dedicated to providing captive elephants with a natural habitat in which they can live the rest of their lives in peace and tranquility.
The sanctuary started on 110 acres and has grown into three separate and protected, natural habitats, spanning over 3,000 acres. It’s currently the largest natural habitat elephant sanctuary in the United States.
This organization serves three purposes — to provide a free haven for captive elephants to go into retirement and live the rest of their days freely; to educate the public about the plight of captive elephants (and by extension other animals), and to raise awareness about the need for increased standards of care for elephants still in captivity.
What they have achieved
For the last two decades, the Elephant Sanctuary has been home to 28 elephants, each one receiving the highest standard of individual care.
The sanctuary is currently providing safe haven and care to 10 elephants that permanently reside in three-separate areas on a 3,060-acre preserve of forest, ponds, and pasture in southwest Middle Tennessee.
To manage these elephants across such a large area, there is a team comprised of a director of veterinary care, a veterinary, a registered veterinary technician, an elephant care program manager, an elephant care training manager, three barn leads, and 16 full-time caregivers, which undergo intense training on elephant behavior, husbandry, and every other aspect required to properly tend to elephants and cater to their individual needs.
Of the donations the sanctuary receives, the largest bulk of it is directed towards resources and services that meet elephants’ daily needs, namely food, supplements (to address deficiencies), and ongoing husbandry and medical care.
In addition to this work, there’s education work that’s being conducted at the sanctuary’s discovery center, as well as distance learning programs, virtual field trips, virtual events, and many more. If you want to support a charity that focuses on supporting elephants that have been victims to captivity, the Elephant Sanctuary is a charity that you need to look into.
Transparency ratings
Elephant Sanctuary provides you with annual reports, as well as audited financial statements, which means you get access to what progress has been done, and how much money has been spent to move the needle. The independent transparency rating platforms Charity Navigator and Guidestar also rate the Elephant Sanctuary very highly.
How to contribute
You can contribute to the Elephant Sanctuary in several ways— by making a simple one-off or recurring donation; becoming a paid member of the organization (which gives you some perks); adopting an elephant; feeding an elephant (which is the same as becoming a member and adopting an elephant, but you’ve got other perks), or you can also purchase their merchandise and see the revenue be reinvested into elephant care.
How To Select The Best Charities To Support
If you’re considering donating to an elephant charity (or any charity for that matter), you really have to do your research to make sure your contribution has the most powerful impact. Although we’ve included 5 wonderful charities that move the needle forward, you might want to donate to other charities with distinct missions.
Here are some tips to help you find the best charities to donate to:
- Start by visiting the charity’s website. Look for information about its history, mission, and values. A transparent and reputable organization will be open about its goals and progress.
- Charities have to be clear about their mission. If a charity doesn’t have a clear and specific goal, it’s unlikely that it will be able to achieve meaningful change. Also, look for a charity with realistic and attainable goals. Ambitious but not impossible.
- Track record of success. Look for charities that have achieved their past goals. They should have quarterly or annual impact reports that lay out their progress and accomplishments. If they’re consistently coming short, look for a different charity.
- Review the charity’s financial statements. On top of impact reports, charities should also have financial reports, preferably audited by an independent auditor. You need to be able to determine if your money is being well-spent or just going into someone’s pocket.
- Talk to people who worked for or benefited from the charity. Talking to someone that has personally benefited or has had first-hand experience with the charity will give you a far great insight than just researching online.
Most people donate to charities without first doing research, but that’s not making a difference. If you want to make sure your donation truly helps endangered elephants, you have to help charities that ACTUALLY make an impact. Much like the government and businesses that need to be accountable for their misdeeds, charities shouldn’t be exempt.
How To Best Support These Charities
There are many ways to support your favorite charities, but in the end, it will come down to how many resources you have, and how much time you can dedicate to the cause.
Here are a few ways you can help your favorite charity:
- Donate money. What most people tend to do is make a financial contribution. This can be a one-time or recurring donation. Some also give away their own belongings (say, food, clothes, among other things).
- Volunteer your time. Most charities can’t afford labor but they still have to make things happen — this is where volunteers come in! Consider donating your time and skills to a cause that aligns with your values and interests.
- Shop with a purpose. Look for opportunities to support charities when you shop. Some companies donate a portion of their profits to charities, or you can choose to buy products from charities that want to raise money by selling merchandise. Shirts, caps, pencils, mugs, you name it. If you frequently buy from Amazon, consider their Amazon Smile program. If you set this up, your charity of choice will receive a fraction of your online purchases.
- Host a fundraising event. If you’ve got a solid network of friends, family, or social media followers, consider mobilizing everyone to take part in a fun event — this could be a dinner, a marathon (or hike), a raffle, a trivia tournament, a golf tournament… anything you can think of! There are many ideas you could implement.
- Raise awareness. Seems simple, but it’s really powerful. Sharing the message with friends, family, or your social media followers can also make a difference. The more people know about the great work that’s been done, the more they’ll be willing to contribute. Never stop sharing!
So many ways to support your favorite causes, so choose the one that is best suited for you.
Claim A Tax Deduction For Your Charitable Donations
Better than donating to your favorite charity is being able to donate to your favorite charity and save some money on taxes. Yes, if you live in the United States, your donations may be tax deductible.
To claim a tax deduction, you need to itemize your deductions on your federal income tax return using Schedule A (Form 1040 or 1040-SR).
Follow these instructions to claim a tax deduction for your charitable donation:
- Make sure that the organization you’re donating to is a qualified charitable organization. The IRS website has a list of qualified organizations on its official website.
- Keep records of your donations. This includes things such as receipts, bank statements, or other documents that show the name of the organization, the date of the donation, and the amount donated.
- Use Schedule A (Form 1040 or 1040-SR) to claim your charitable donations. You will need to enter the total amount of your donations on the form.
- Deliver your filled-out Schedule A alongside your federal income tax return form.
The video below is also a useful resource if you want to learn more about tax-deductible donations.
The Bottom Line
Elephants are intelligent and majestic animals that are under constant threat, and their long-term survival is dependent on our resolve and ability to act. Once millions, now only hundreds of thousands roam the Earth.
Incredible charities like the ones we’ve highlighted above dedicate themselves to protecting and conserving elephants and their natural habitats, so take some time to research and support the one that resonates with you the most.
Every donation makes a difference, so don’t hesitate. Act now and support the work of these incredible charities to ensure these incredible beings are protected.
