“The organizations we partner with have well-established programs and on-the ground-experience which ensure that every purchase made will directly benefit elephants,” The Elephant Project added.
The Elephant Nature Park in Thailand and The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya are two of the organizations that The Elephant Project sends their proceeds to. Currently, the project is specifically focused on helping The Elephant Nature Park raise funds for the elephants of Thailand, many of whom live in trekking camps that depend on tourism.
“The Thai government has forced the trekking camps of Thailand to close,” The Elephant Project said of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’s effect on elephants. “This leaves many elephants in Thailand without work and revenue for their owners to feed them. There are over 1000 elephants now chained up 24 hours a day facing the potential of starvation. The elephants are showing severe signs of stress and there are limited resources.”
The Elephant Nature Park, which is also temporarily closed, is putting aside their ethical disagreements with trekking camps to help feed the innocent elephants under the camps’ care.
To learn more about how The Elephant Project is supporting these efforts and helping elephants all around the world, visit their website, where you can also purchase a Kiki or Tembo plush — 100% of proceeds from each go to helping real elephants.
Additionally, the Elephant Nature Park has started a fundraiser to help care for their animals and the other elephants of Thailand during the coronavirus pandemic.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.
