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Help us care for elephants

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:51:15 GMT

We care deeply about elephants. Unfortunately, today they face an uncertain future. That’s why we’re building a new model for elephant care and conservation, unlike anything else.

By educating millions of people each year and contributing vital funds to conservation initiatives around the world, accredited zoos advocate for elephants everywhere. The National Elephant Center takes this commitment to a new level to help ensure a future for elephants.

We need your support to make it a reality and to help the elephants.

or mail donations to:

The National Elephant Center
c/o Brevard Zoo
8225 North Wickham Road
Melbourne, FL 32940

Site Plans

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:41:25 GMT

Located in Fellsmere, Florida, the future site currently supports a citrus grove and is surrounded by farmland.

This location offers excellent conditions with good drainage, close proximity to other elephant facilities, and a central location all of which makes the site ideal for elephants and our operations.

The National Elephant Center will be unlike anything ever created for elephants. The master site plan includes four barns, quarantine facilities, a keeper work center, a conservation/education center, elephant overlooks and a group pavilion. The full site includes 225 acres for the elephants with a series of varied yards and large meanders designed for optimal flexibility. Four barns will house the elephants and allow for veterinary procedures. Natural enrichment zones with waterholes and large elephant meanders will be ideal for foraging and mud wallowing. There’s no doubt elephants are going to love this location.

Phase One construction will encompass about 25 acres, including one barn with attached paddocks and four interconnected pastures ranging from four to five acres each. All barns will be capable of holding both African and Asian elephants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:01:02 GMT

What is The National Elephant Center? The National Elephant Center is a new model for excellence in elephant care and conservation. Specifically, The Center is a professional elephant care facility focused on advancing the care of elephants in North America. A collaborative effort with support from 73 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), The Center will: Support population management for North American elephants cared for in AZA-accredited zoos across the country. For example, The Center will provide a flexible habitat for bull elephants, herds and social groupings and help support the elephant programs in the 73 zoos with elephant programs. Serve as a centralized training facility for elephant keepers, veterinarians and others. Conduct and contribute to husbandry research to determine the best methods of animal care, and; Participate in conservation projects in partnership with accredited zoos and...

History

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:58:28 GMT

For many years, curators, keepers, veterinarians and others associated with elephants at Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) institutions wanted a facility to provide short- and long-term solutions to help manage the nation’s nearly 290 elephants that live at 73 different AZA-accredited facilities. In 2004 the idea of creating a national elephant center came as the result of an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Elephant Management Strategic Planning Meeting involving thought leaders and members of the Elephant Taxon Advisory Group/Species Survival Plan (TAG/SSP). Shortly thereafter, dozens of AZA-accredited zoos donated critical funding support to explore options for establishing a Center, which will be an important tool in elephant management and conservation.

An extensive search was launched to research potential sites to locate The Center. Permits were awarded to build in St. Lucie County, Florida but plans were suspended after the board determined a site in Fellsmere, Florida offered several advantages.

With site development at Fellsmere now underway, The National Elephant Center will soon break ground on the first phase of its development.

Join us in creating a future for elephants

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:40:01 GMT

Our goal every day is to make a real difference for future of elephants. In order to be successful, we need the involvement of people like you who care about helping elephants. Join our advocacy team and support elephant care and conservation today with a donation to The National Elephant Center. Your contribution will help us ensure that elephants are in our future.

Join our Advocacy Team

Make a Donation to the National Elephant Center

Video Gallery

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:43:21 GMT

ZOO PROGRAMS

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:58:35 GMT

Accredited zoos are taking critical steps to ensure a future for elephants through education programs and conservation projects designed to draw attention to the plight of elephants and make a real impact in their home ranges.

In addition to inspiring millions of visitors each year to care about elephants, today’s accredited zoos are providing vital resources to help elephants. They support more than 85 elephant research programs that directly address many of the issues affecting elephants in the wild. Others are studying the animals to learn how we can best protect them. For instance:

A study on elephant vocalization at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is yielding clues in female elephant fertility patterns, important for successful breeding to maintain elephant conservation programs.
At the Oakland Zoo, researchers are discovering how elephants hear distant seismic vibrations and perceive them as environmental threats. This study illuminates how people can better protect wild elephant habitats, and shield elephants in this country from urban noise.
The St. Louis Zoo developed a means of using cell phone towers to track elephants in the wild.
An elephant vocalization study at the Pittsburgh Zoo is yielding insight into how the animals are affected by relocation from one habitat to another. This knowledge will help elephant conservationists work successfully.

Additionally, accredited zoos provide the majority of the funding for the International Elephant Foundation (IEF), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports a wide variety of elephant conservation and related scientific and educational projects worldwide.

Armed with dedicated teams of scientists, researchers and passionate conservationists, accredited zoos are making a real difference for elephants. The National Elephant Center will support these causes while spearheading new initiatives and programs designed to ensure elephants remain part of our future.

Conservation and Research

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:57:02 GMT

Elephants are under a barrage of threats – from poaching to habitat loss, human conflict and climate change. Every year nearly 4,000 elephants are killed to sustain the illegal trade of ivory. In order to understand the best way to protect elephants in today’s world, additional support for research, education and conservation programs is needed to ensure their future.

The National Elephant Center is poised to become a leader in this effort through research, advocacy, education and conservation:

RESEARCH - Wild populations of elephants are increasingly becoming managed due to shrinking habitat, changing population dynamics and encroachment by human development. Population management research at The National Elephant Center will provide conservationists with tools and techniques for managing these populations in the wild.
ADVOCACY - The Center envisions becoming a voice for elephants nationally and internationally through advocacy and collaboration that will speak up for elephants on issues that affect their continued survival.
EDUCATION - Though not open to the public, The National Elephant Center will educate school children locally and support formal education programs at accredited zoos throughout the country, which teach millions of visitors each year about elephants and their status in the wild.
CONSERVATION - The Center will provide an important space for research that will help zoos aid the Asian and African elephant populations in the wild. North American zoos already help support more than 85 research projects in zoos and in the wild to learn more about elephants.

Board of Directors

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:44:39 GMT

The National Elephant Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit managed by a Board of Directors. The Board establishes strategic direction, partnerships and governing policies and will manage The Center. The Board is responsible for fundraising to support capital development and operations. Members of The National Elephant Center board of directors are:

Rick Barongi, Chairman
Houston Zoo

Craig Piper, Vice Chairman
Denver Zoo

Dennis Pate, Treasurer
Henry Doorly Zoo

Mike Blakely, Secretary
Little Rock Zoo

Mark C. Reed, Past Chairman
Sedgwick County Zoo

Dr. Anne Baker
Toledo Zoological Gardens

Dr. Bob Dale
Butler University

Martha Fischer
St. Louis Zoo

Dr. Bill Foster
Birmingham Zoo

David Jones
North Carolina Zoological Park

John Lehnhardt

Kim Smith
Oregon Zoo

Steve Taylor
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Keith Winsten
Brevard Zoo

Staff

Jerry Borin
Interim Executive Director

Jeff Bolling
Chief Operating Officer

Former board members:

Dr. Jeffrey Bonner, President and CEO, St. Louis Zoo
Mike Crowther, President/CEO, Indianapolis Zoo
Mike Fouraker, Executive Director, Ft. Worth Zoo
The late Clayton Freiheit, President/CEO, Denver Zoo
Dr. Deborah Jensen, President/CEO, Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle)
Mike Keele, Deputy Director, Oregon Zoo

Our Mission

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:52:49 GMT

To improve the elephant population’s long-term viability and welfare by promoting excellence in elephant care and management. To accomplish this mission we will:

collaborate with AZA-accredited zoos and other professional elephant organizations, experts and advocates;
bring a scientific approach to husbandry research, professional training, and elephant reproduction; and
always provide exceptional care inspired by our deep commitment to the future of elephants.

ASIAN ELEPHANTS

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:07:38 GMT

Asian elephants historically have a wide range throughout Asia and play a significant role in the culture and economy of the region. They are important religious symbols and have also been domesticated for logging and other manual labor. Today Asia’s forests are significantly smaller due to the dramatic increase in human development throughout the region. As Asia’s population continues to grow rapidly, the once-great forests that elephants roamed are now broken and scattered amongst emerging villages, towns and cities.

Elephants follow well-defined seasonal migration patterns that are passed down from generation to generation. When new farms arise along these paths, Asian elephants come in direct contact with humans, often with tragic results as farmers forced to defend their crops will shoot elephants upon sight. In addition to stumbling upon farms, some Asian elephants are actively seeking out rice fields and other commercial agriculture sites in search of food.

Given their need for large dietary requirements, today Asian elephants simply do not have enough open space to sustain themselves naturally and crop raids are common.

Poaching is also a serious issue for Asian elephants. Since only Asian males have tusks, they are often under-represented in herds due to targeted poaching for ivory. Without males available to breed, it is difficult for the herds to maintain their numbers.

As a result of these pressures, scientists estimate there may be as few as 35,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, though some reports indicate even this figure may be generous. With no stop to Asia’s human population growth or development in sight, the Asian elephant is a species under immense strain that faces an uncertain future.

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:06:53 GMT

ELEPHANT AND HUMAN CONFLICT Elephants need a large amount of habitat because they eat so much. Humans have become their direct competitors for space to live. Human populations in Africa and Asia have quadrupled since the turn of the century, the fastest growth rate on the planet. Forest and savanna habitat has been converted to cropland, pastureland for livestock, and timber for housing and fuel. Humans do not always regard elephants as good neighbors. When humans and elephants live close together, elephants raid crops, and rogue elephants (aggressive male elephants during the breeding season) rampage through villages. Local people shoot elephants because they fear them and regard them as pests. Some countries have established culling programs: park officials or hunters kill a predetermined number of elephants to keep herds manageable and minimize human-elephant conflicts. OVEREXPLOITATION Although it is no longer legal in many African countries, hunting has been a major cause of...

A Message from the President

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:05:34 GMT

Caring about elephants seems to come naturally to people. It is that care and commitment to the future of elephants that led to the creation of The National Elephant Center, a new model for collaboration and wildlife species conservation. I’m pleased to report that after months of planning, research and persistence, the Center has an established home, broad support from the conservation community, and a mission that is critical to the future of elephants. We are now poised to become a world leader in elephant population management, conservation, scientific research, training, and elephant care. It is a commitment to wildlife that brought together The National Elephant Center with our corporate collaborator, Waste Management, which is providing the Center support and a 345-acres site in Okeechobee, Fla., that is perfect for elephants. The Center will be adjacent to property that Waste Management maintains as a natural area certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. This is a unique...

Take a Virtual Tour of the Center

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:04:09 GMT

Refund Policy and Terms & Conditions of Use

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:02:29 GMT

Refund Policy All sales are final Terms & Conditions This Site is ruled by the terms and conditions set out below. They will be binding for you, so read them carefully and if you don't agree please exit the Site. By visiting this Site you unconditionally consent to the following terms and conditions, including the privacy policy section. You are aware that The National Elephant Center may modify, at its sole discretion, at any time and without previous notice, said terms and conditions so we ask you to visit again this webpage to check updates. This Site is for education, informational and conservational purposes and you can use it only for private, personal and not commercial use. Trademarks and copyright In this Site you will find information, images, photographs, trademarks, products, advertising, etc. which are exclusive property of The National Elephant Center and are protected by copyrights. Therefore you may not reproduce, totally or in part (except for private,...

Practice

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:23:53 GMT

Videos

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:26:30 GMT

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Keywords

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:53:59 GMT

The keywords we have agreed upon for your project are;

1. Elephant Poaching
2. Elephant Population
3. Elephant Conservation

For more information, visit our Helpfiles for Search Engines

Media Materials

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:22:31 GMT

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Donate

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:21:32 GMT

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