Help Save Elephants in India

Greetings from Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)

We hope this message finds you well.

As an esteemed supporter of WTI, you play a crucial role in our ongoing efforts to conserve India's wild elephant population. For the past 25 years, safeguarding these majestic creatures and their habitats has remained one of our core objectives.

Our work encompasses a range of activities aimed at protecting wild elephant habitats, mitigating human-elephant conflict, and combatting the illegal ivory trade. These diverse initiatives are interconnected with an overarching aim of establishing a secure future for India’s national heritage animal.

So, how does your donation support our work?

Human-elephant conflict mitigation

India's growing population and competing demands for land and resources inevitably lead to conflicts between humans and elephants. In February, the Wayanad district of Kerala witnessed a severe case of human-elephant conflict that resulted in a human casualty. WTI’s Primary Response Team (PRT) assisted the Forest Department in monitoring and tracking the elephant for nearly a week to prevent any more conflict scenarios until the elephant moved away from human habitation and entered the forests of the neighboring state of Karnataka. We supported managing the agitated crowd, tracking the elephant, and providing equipment support to the forest department. Thanks to your support, the intervention saved the elephant’s life and guided it deeper into the forest. 

Combatting the illegal ivory trade  

Our commitment to combatting the illegal ivory trade remains steadfast. In a recent enforcement operation conducted in February 2024, WTI with support from Serenity Trust recovered 12 elephant tusks weighing approximately 8.5 kilograms in the Nagaon district of Assam. The intel for the operation was gathered by WTI’s cyber-spotters – a team rigorously monitoring the internet for any wildlife trade activities online. The operation lasted for nearly 24 hours, whilst the enforcement officers posing as sellers lured the poachers and smugglers into a deal. The operation was jointly conducted by WTI, Assam state police, and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and led to the arrest of 5 smugglers and elephant poachers. In addition to elephant tusks, the teams also seized 15 rhino hooves,1 deer antler, and 1.31 kilograms of pangolin scales.  

Beyond these specific interventions, we recognize the importance of engaging and mobilizing support from individuals like you. Your generous donations to our appeal 'Help Save Elephants in India' enable us to sustain our conservation efforts and make a tangible difference on the ground. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your commitment to our cause.

Looking ahead, we aim to provide more comprehensive updates on our cumulative impact on elephant conservation in India. In addition to sharing success stories, we will strive to offer deeper insights into the challenges we face and the strategies we employ to overcome them.

The binge-worthy suggestion

As part of our commitment to raising awareness, we'd like to recommend a series titled 'Poacher' available for streaming on Amazon Prime. The series is based on a real-life enforcement operation that unearthed the LARGEST IVORY POACHING RING in India’s history, shedding light on the complexities of the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife Trust of India features in the series as we played a major role in this ground-breaking enforcement operation. We encourage you to watch 'Poacher' and gain a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.

That’s all for today. We will soon be back with more updates on our cumulative impact on elephant conservation in India. Till then, take care and keep shining.

Warm regards,

Team WT