Protecting Elephants and other wildlife in southern Kenya since 2008. The future of African elephants is in peril due to poaching, human-elephant conflict, habitat loss and climate change.
“As wildlife conservationists, our mission is to secure a future for elephants, other wildlife and their natural habitat for the long term benefit of communities in the Masai Mara ecosystem”
- Gini Cowell
Since 2008, Elephant Aware has protected elephants and other wildlife in the Siana Conservation Area in the Mara ecosystem in Kenya. Employing innovative strategies, they prevent human-elephant-conflict through patrols by Maasai rangers. Together with conservation partners, the rangers engage in anti-poaching efforts, community outreach, research and education. Supported solely by private donations, Elephant Aware provides a safe refuge for a sub population of an estimated 600+ elephants in this part of the ecosystem.
The Elephant Aware field based conservation project is part of a network of conservancies that work to protect wildlife and biodiversity outside of Kenyan rangelands, national parks and reserves. Their work aims to integrate conservation efforts and land use policies in a way that is best for wildlife and human co-existence and well being..
On Elephants..
“Are we willing to allow a species from which we can learn so much and which have lived on planet Earth for far longer than we have, to simply disappear because of the human greed which drives the demand for trinkets and ornaments made from their tusks? Is an ivory object worth more than a live elephant? … It has often been said that elephants possess the very best of human qualities with almost none of the contrary.”
Gini Cowell, January 2021. ‘Why We Should Care About Elephants.’
"For centuries, elephants have captured our hearts with their keen intelligence, their gentle nature, and their devotion to family. They shouldn’t have to struggle to survive, but unfortunately they do; victims of poaching and scarce resources, their populations decline with each passing year. Surely we can — we must — summon the will to save this iconic species and with them, a part of ourselves."
Carol Bradley, January 2021. Author of “Last Chain on Billie: How One Extraordinary Elephant Escaped the Big Top.”
"Elephants, the largest land animals on the planet, are among the most exuberantly expressive of creatures. Joy, anger, grief, compassion, love; the finest emotions reside within these hulking masses. Through years of research, scientists have found that elephants are capable of complex thought and deep feeling. In fact, the emotional attachment elephants form toward family members may rival our own." PBS.org Oct 11, 2010
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/echo-an-elephant-to-remember-elephant-emotions/4489/
"We must act now before it is too late. We must join forces everywhere to stop the slaughter of elephants, for unless we work together to tackle the problem elephants could become extinct in the wild – and quite soon. How terrible if that time comes, and our great great grandchildren only know elephants from archival photos, and picture books and films. "
Jane Goodall, August 2016
https://news.janegoodall.org/2016/08/12/janes-message-world-elephant-d