We provide regular health checks to over 250 domesticated elephants across Asia, delivered by our team of vets, who specialise in elephant care and management. Regulations for elephants working in the tourist industry have also been introduced to prevent abuse and injury.

1. Jaipur Elephant Welfare Project, Rajasthan, India.

After 6 years of providing free veterinary care and tireless dedication by local NGO Help in Suffering and funding provided by UK based conservation charity elephant family and The Nando Peretti Foundation, it has now been officially recognised that the privately owned elephants of Jaipur live in greatly improved conditions. As a result, elephant family, despite huge attachment to the project, will start phasing out funding in the next 3 months.

One of the world’s most respected elephant veterinarians, Prof. Jacob V Cheeran, has published a report highlighting a vast number of extremely positive changes to the elephants’ lives stating

Please click here to download this briliant report.

Prof. Cheeran now believes that the elephant owners, the Forest and Tourism Departments, the Elephant Welfare Society, and local businesses must now take overall responsibility for the future of Jaipur’s elephants and maintain the high standards implemented by Help In Suffering and elephant family in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan.

For decades the hundred strong captive elephants of Jaipur were subjected to terrible conditions. Working all day in blistering heat, they carried an endless stream of tourists up to the Amer Palace and back. The soaring temperatures, crowded and steep hill, relentless workload and lack of healthcare meant these elephants were suffering from a variety of problems including blindness, sunburn, exhaustion, dehydration and even injuries caused by traffic collisions. Some of the key achievements for these endangered animals include:

• Free on –site veterinary care - for 100 plus elephants
• Total ban of ankush – this is an on going and difficult battle to win. However, it is the first time in India that such a regulation has been introduced. To date over half of the mahouts have stopped using the ankush during the elephant rides
• Major reduction in dehydration, constipation and skin problems - due to the introduction of water troughs and tube-wells for regular bathing and drinking and the provision of shade at the Amer stand and in every elephant stable
• Major reduction in elephant traffic accidents – reflectors introduced to make elephants visible on the roads at night and early morning
• Significant reduction in rope and bed sores – due to improved stables and hygiene
• Major reduction in foot problems – due to reduced elephant working hours and foot care programmes
• Prohibiting further import of elephants into Jaipur - due to all elephants being micro-chipped and a monitoring system established

The health and welfare of Jaipur’s elephants will be maintained by the elephant owners, the relevant Government Departments, the Elephant Welfare Society, the Tour Operators and local businesses. Help In Suffering will of course continue to provide excellent care to all the animals of Jaipur and will ensure that the high standards achieved by Help In Suffering/elephant family’s ‘Elephant Welfare Project’ are maintained. Mark Shand – Trustee of elephant family will continue to support the project in an advisory capacity.

This project has been kindly supported by the Nando Peretti Foundation since 2006.

2. Elephant Healtcare Programme, Sumatra, Indonesia

Partner: The Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation

Aim: to introduce and establish regular veterinary care, training and management systems to improve the health and welfare of Sumatra’s domesticated elephants.

The island of Sumatra contains some of the most biodiverse vegetation on the planet. However this tropical paradise is being destroyed at a record breaking speed, leaving wildlife populations in free fall. Between 2000 and 2005, Indonesia had the fastest rate of deforestation in the world. This also makes Indonesia the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases; trailing China and USA. The fastest rate of deforestation is occurring on the island of Sumatra to make space for palm oil and industrial pulpwood plantations.

These dramatic changes to the environment have left much of the Indonesian wildlife with no-where to go, and triggered a 40% drop in Asian elephant populations since 1992. Starving and stressed herds raid crops and trample villages, sparking violent confrontations. Consequently, elephants are poisoned, shot and poached. The Indonesian government deals with these conflicts by capturing ‘rogue’ elephants and moving them into ‘conservation centres’. These centres are poorly equipped and lack trained vets, shade, water and other key facilities. In many cases they are unable to meet the basic food requirements or healthcare.

elephant family does not support the capture of wild elephants as a solution to human-elephant conflict, and is part of an international push to bring about this change in Indonesia. Whilst larger NGOs tackle the root causes of deforestation and global warming, elephant family is working at a grass roots level to address the plight of Sumatra’s captive populations. These elephants represent a significant portion of the remaining Sumatran population and therefore a significant genetic resource. They are also highly valuable in mitigating human-elephant conflict; in turn reducing the pressure to capture wild ‘rogue’ elephants.

The elephant healthcare program is implemented across six centres by our partner NGO. The team of vets specialise in elephant care and share their knowledge with the mahouts. Ongoing care entails treatment of wounds, food supplements and regular health checks. The vets provide contact and support for the mahouts; monthly educational workshops have increased the day-to-day standard of elephant husbandry and welfare.

Results:

• Improved health and living conditions for 120 elephants
• Essential drinking and bathing facilities built in Saree.
• Regular and structured veterinary care provided to the conservation centres; measurement of elephant health using the Body Conditioning Index
• Micro chipping of all elephants based in Way Kambas
• Mahout network established across the island to facilitate best practice
• Increased public awareness and positive public profile.The destruction of forests in Sumatra has led to increasing human-elephant conflict. Wild herds are penned inside diminishing habitat, surrounded by farms and plantations. Looking for food, they often end up destroying these houses and raiding the crops. These elephants - unique to Sumatra - have come to be regarded as enormous pests by local communities and a problem for the Indonesian government.

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