As well as participating in our region's first co-ordinated breeding and conservation program for their species, our elephants are here to inspire the imagination of all our visitors.
In doing that, Taronga Zoo is able to create awareness and provide information about elephants and the threats and dangers to their future survival.
The problems facing elephants are manmade and only we have the power to fix them. If logging, poaching and the clearing of forests by the human population is not addressed then their will be no wild habitat for any elephants.
Early last century over 300,000 wild elephants roamed the vast forests of Asia. Today however, this number stands at only 34,000 elephants scattered in small isolated pockets of forests surrounded by an ever expanding human population. In Thailand where our elephants are from it is estimated that only 1,500 wild elephants remain.
Taronga Zoo has a long history of providing funds and support to many conservation projects for Asian Elephants around the world.
Elephant Transit Home - Sri Lanka
The Elephant Transit Home (ETH) was established in 1995 by the Sri Lankan Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).
It was created to provide care and rehabilitation to young elephant calves found abandoned or orphaned with little or no prospect of survival due to the loss of their mother and natural herd.
During the last decade, over 1300 wild elephants have been killed in Sri Lanka due to gunshot wounds, poisoning, electrocution, land mines and collisions with vehicles & trains.
The objectives of the Elephant Transit Home revolve around the central aim of re-introducing fit and healthy young elephants back into the National Parks of Sri Lanka. This project is the only one of it’s kind in the world for Asian elephants.
Funding from Taronga Zoo provides milk, medicine and supplies for elephant calves in their rehabilitation and will continue until they are old enough to be re-released back into the wild.
Since it’s creation the Elephant Transit Home has successfully rehabilitated and released over 60 juvenile elephants back into the Udawalawe National Park.
Taronga Zoo sponsors two orphaned elephant calves at Sri Lanka’s Elephant Transit Home and will continue to pay for their care up to and including when they are released into a national park in the future. Their names are Moreesha and Wakarei.
Biodiversity & Elephant Conservation Trust - Sri Lanka Youth Awareness
With funding from Taronga Zoo, The Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust launched an awareness program to generate support in Sri Lanka to resolve the ongoing Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) problem in the country. Human-Elephant conflict is increasingly common throughout Asia as humans and elephants compete for land, space and resources.
In Sri Lanka alone roughly 150 elephants & 60 people die every year as a result of this ongoing conflict.
This was aimed at young people in Sri Lankan schools addressing the value of elephants, the causes of conflict, how to minimize it and the need for conservation. The sessions have been successful in changing children's attitudes in studies already undertaken.
Way Kambas National Park - Sumatra
When Way Kambas National Park was established in 1984, local communities were relocated out of the park, leaving behind open wells, which have proven to be a deadly trap for the wild animals. Wild elephants and other animals are very active in the area between the rain forest and the deep Braja swamp. This area is dense with wells and juvenile elephants are the most common animals found trapped. It is estimated that 300 elephants may have died in these wells since 1984. The bones of the severely endangered Sumatran rhinoceros and Sumatran tiger have also been found in the wells.
Funding from Taronga Zoo’s Field Grants Program is assisting in the closure of these wells reducing the risk to local wildlife.
CITES MIKE
Taronga Zoo has already contributed $16,200 in funding to support the Thai Government and international conservation agency efforts to stop the illegal killing of wild Asian Elephants in the region. This is through the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) program Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) established to assess the areas of conflict and the reasons why elephants were being killed to assist in resolving the issues.
South Luangwa Conservation Society
South Luangwa is a 9,050 square kilometre National Park in eastern Zambia. Home to over 100 species of mammals and 470 species of birds, this wildlife area is regarded as Zambia’s iconic National Park.
Taronga Zoo has provided funding for an anti-poaching campaign within the South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) to reduce the illegal snaring and shooting of animals for the Bush Meat trade, including African elephants, rhinoceros, primates, antelope and birds.
Elephant DNA Program
Provided base levels of DNA for comparison with wild elephants for Flora and Fauna International project in Cambodia. The DNA was collected from Taronga's breeding group using mouth swabs.
Elephant Veterinary Centre - Mahidol University
Taronga and Melbourne Zoos built at their cost a quarantine centre and elephant care facilities at Mahidol University which was the site our elephants began their journey prior to coming to Australia. This was handed over on the elephants' departure to the University for use in the care of elephants and other wildlife, becoming the first national centre for elephant health.
The zoos have contributed over $150,000 to this centre and it has been officially named by Thai authorities as "Haven of the Elephants".
Micro - Chipping Domestic Nepalese Eelephants
In 2004 Taronga and Western Plains Zoos' veterinarians helped the Nepal Government place identifying microchips in all the country's domestic elephants and helped train veterinarians in the scanning process. This helps prevent illegal cross-border imports of wild-caught elephants from Myanmar. Taronga Zoo Veterinary staff have been regular visitors to Nepal for over a decade, working with local veterinarians to improve health care for elephants and other wildlife in Nepal.
Mahout Support Program to Introduce Trust - Based Management Techniques
Following an approach by the Thai mahouts who worked with zoo staff on the arrival and integration of the Thai elephants, the Zoo and its Elephant Management team committed to support these mahouts in their plan to introduce these modern trust-based techniques at Thai elephant training centres. The goal is to replace the more common traditional system which is more discipline-based.
Conservation Funding For Thailand
Taronga and Melbourne Zoos have committed to contribute AUD $100,000 each to an elephant conservation project / program within Thailand.
Public Donations
Both Taronga and Melbourne Zoos have visitor donation facilities that encourage their 2.5 million (between both Zoos) visitors annually to contribute to these and other projects for wild elephants. Help support our Elephant Appeal here.
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