Background

Elephant Care International is the first nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to elephant healthcare. 
 We provide direct care, information resources for care-givers, and support
community-based initiatives to reduce deaths and injuries caused by human-elephant conflict.

One of every three Asian elephants lives in captivity. Many of these ~14,000 captive Asian elephants lack basic care. Wild elephant populations are at risk of diseases introduced by captive elephants. Elephants and humans are in competition for dwindling forested areas. Conflicts result in deaths of elephants and humans.

In many areas of Africa and Asia, elephants are confined to parks and sanctuaries. When populations exceed the carrying capacity, difficult choices are faced—birth control, culling, or starvation. In places of human-elephant conflict, wild elephants may be captured by governments that lack the will or ability to care for them.

Where logging has been banned (Thailand, parts of India), working elephants that were assets are now liabilities. Many receive poor or no care and some are abandoned. Captive elephants released in the forest pose a threat of introducing diseases into wild populations. In Myanmar, captive logging elephants often breed and intermingle with wild elephants.

Elephant Care International has defined goals to improve elephant healthcare. Our projects focus on disease research; supporting the development of longer-term contraceptives as an alternative to culling; educating and building the capacity of in situ veterinarians; information sharing to inspire collaborative efforts among all professionals concerned with elephants; and efforts to reduce human-elephant conflict and associated deaths and injuries.

We reduce human and elephant deaths caused by conflict over natural resources by focusing on local village issues; integrating community support with social and economic agencies; and providing alternative income means compatible with elephant habitat.

We are expanding our Board as we seek a diverse, independent, business-minded board of directors to build a solid plan for growth, funding, and perpetuity of our program. With the board’s support, we can help save elephant and human lives and expand a consciousness of conservation and cooperation. We invite you to be a part of this effort!  To learn more please go to our Mission/Goals/Strategies and Projects pages.