International Elephant Foundation Supports Worldwide Elephant Conservation Through 2012 Grants

AZLE, Texas, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Elephant Foundation (IEF) today announced that it is providing more than $225,000 to support 19 elephant conservation projects for 2012.

IEF-supported projects protect elephants from poaching, seek solutions for human-elephant conflict, equip and train community conservationists, increase our knowledge of the treatment and prevention of disease and educate people. In 2012, IEF will provide over $225,000 to support elephant conservation around the world, adding to the over $2 million total invested in conserving elephants since its inception in 1998.

"The future for African and Asian elephants is in our hands," said IEF Executive Director, Deborah Olson. "The elephants in zoos and circuses inspire support for the International Elephant Foundation. When someone sees, or perhaps touches, an elephant and gains a greater understanding of the animal he or she has known only from picture books and video, they are then motivated to take action to save these species from extinction."

IEF is a non-profit organization established in 1998 by a group of zoos, circuses and other elephant care facilities to enhance and promote elephant conservation around the world. The IEF Board of Directors includes representatives from institutions that collectively care for more than 150 Asian and African Elephants in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

"We are extremely proud that through its annual grant program IEF continues to play a vital role in both helping elephants and in the preservation of these magnificent but endangered species," said incoming IEF President Martha Fischer.

The following elephant conservation projects will receive support from IEF in 2012:

ASIAN ELEPHANT PROJECTS:

Changing local attitudes and behavior towards elephants in Kerala, India
Zoo Outreach Organisation Trust has developed a teaching guide on Human-elephant coexistence (HECx) entitled "Getting along with elephants" and educational packets for use during programs. This information provided in the human-elephant conflict areas of Kerala will help to create a positive attitude among the people toward the elephant and its conservation. 

Emergence of highly fatal Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) in Asian elephants of South India
This project will promulgate a thorough epidemiological investigation of the EEHV infections in both free ranging and captive Asian Elephants in South India. It will identify and evaluate the extent of emergence of EEHV, risk factors and risk groups involved and will help formulate management strategies for the future conservation of the Asian elephant.

Sumatra Elephant Conservation Response Units, Indonesia
This ongoing IEF project uses once neglected captive elephants and their mahouts for direct field based conservation intervention and protection for all wildlife.

Supporting community-based conservation of Asian elephants in Rakhine Yoma, Myanmar
IEF will support the participation of Chin tribes in the protection of Asian elephants and other globally threatened wildlife in the Rakhine Yoma Elephant Sanctuary (RYES) and the adjacent Taung-nyo Public Protected Forest (TPPF). In a country with no tradition of community participation in protected area management, this is an opportunity to build on success and demonstrate a functioning model of community-based conservation.

A sustainable solution for human elephant conflict in Sri Lanka
Introducing Palmyra bio-fencing as a sustainable, eco-friendly, long-term solution will work to mitigate the impacts of human elephant conflict. This innovative project proposes pilot testing Palmyra bio-fencing technology at three different locations of the country, obtaining the assistance from three key national government agencies and respective local communities.

Publication of the Gajah, the Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group
Gajah shares best practices and builds capacity amongst managers, conservationists, researchers and to those interested in the management and conservation of the Asian elephant, both wild and those in human care.

AFRICAN ELEPHANT PROJECTS:

2012 Waterborne Anti-poaching & surveillance operations on Lake Itezhi Tezhi and Kafue River in Kafue National Park, Zambia
This project supports Zambia's Wildlife Authority and the Community Resources Board to undertake anti-poaching and monitoring of Lake Itezhi Tezhi, in order to minimize the poaching threat, thereby securing the northern Buffer Zone of the Ngoma Forest complex for the benefit of wild elephants, as well as other wildlife species.

Mounted horse patrol anti-poaching unit for Mount Kenya, Kenya
Elephant poaching on Mount Kenya is escalating at an alarming rate. Mount Kenya Trust statistics indicate that more than 100 elephant have been killed in the last two and a half years. The Mount Kenya Trust horse patrol unit will tackle the identified poaching hot spots between the Imenti and Sirimon areas of the mountain.

Program "My Elephant Neighbor," Burkina-Faso, West Africa
Exposing children to their elephant neighbors in a positive manner is the most effective way to involve them and their families in elephant conservation. This program offers a unique opportunity to see and learn about the local elephants. It will benefit elephant conservation both in the long- and short-term, as both children and their parents learn about the issues of the neighboring elephant population.

Reduction of human/elephant conflict through beekeeping, Ghana, West Africa
The best strategy to prevent crop damage is to discourage the elephants from coming out of the forest. It has been shown that elephants will not approach beehives and this can be used as a barrier or fence between the forest and the farm crops. Beekeeping will also be an income generating activity for some of the local farmers as well as helping with pollination both within and outside of the forest.

Capacity building by the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), Kenya
This multi-year partnership supports NRT as it develops the capacity and self-sufficiency of its constituent community conservancies in biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and natural resources-based enterprises. 

Waterways Project, Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF)
This multi-year partnership constructs and equips marine stations that are positively impacting the ability of law enforcement to reverse poaching and to initiate water rescue for the communities that make their livelihood from the resources of the lake.

Disseminating Lessons Learned and Building Capacity through Pachyderm
Pachyderm is an essential vehicle for publishing manuscripts by elephant range State researchers, thereby assisting in developing capacity at the scientific and managerial level.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:

Developing a test to detect viral infection in elephants
This study will develop an improved, more sensitive blood test to detect antibodies against multiple EEHV proteins.  The test will provide a much-needed tool to evaluate the prevalence of infection in North American elephants, and determine whether prior infection with one strain of EEHV protects against infection by other strains.

Disease risk analyses for Tuberculosis detection and prevalence in elephants
Identification of risk factors and assessment of currently available diagnostic methods in U.S. elephants will provide information that can be used for making recommendations to minimize transmission and prevent infection.  Improved interpretation of diagnostic tests, identification of risk factors associated with infection, and assessment of the current infection status of the U.S. elephant population will facilitate decision-making by elephant managers, veterinarians, and regulatory officials regarding movement, treatment, and management of elephants to prevent TB infection. 

Innovative attempts to propagate Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus cell culture
The ability to grow and propagate this virus in the laboratory conditions is critical for the progress of future research of EEHV. Understanding the biology and pathology of this virus and the possibility of generating live attenuated vaccines, requires that  innovative approaches to EEHV research must be a top priority. This study will employ a variety of improved detection methods and alternative approaches, together with stored elephant blood vessel wall cells and virus-containing samples that have already been collected for this purpose.

Validation of the effectiveness of anti-herpesvirus inhibitors for EEHV disease
Only ten out of 70 elephants with confirmed EEHV disease have survived, all after medication treatments that include one of two drugs known to target the lytic replication of certain human herpesviruses. However, the rationale that either drug works against EEHV is purely theoretical and at least twice as many calves that have also been treated similarly did not survive. This project will carry out sophisticated basic research experiments designed to answer which if any of these two drugs are indeed truly capable of stopping EEHV.

Determining Pharmacokinetic Characteristics of the Antivirual Drug Ganciclovir in Asian Elephants
Appropriate dosages and dosing intervals to maintain therapeutic blood levels of ganciclovir in elephants needs to be established in order to guarantee effective treatment and to minimize drug‐associated side effects.

Elephant Edotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) Research
IEF is the primary funder of the National Herpesvirus laboratory at the Smithsonian National Zoo and directs and funds multiple studies aimed at identifying the causes of EEHV.

As a non-profit organization dedicated to elephant conservation, education and research, IEF funds worthy elephant conservation and research projects worldwide. To learn more about IEF or to contribute to elephant conservation efforts, please visit IEF's website at www.elephantconservation.org/.

SOURCE International Elephant Foundation