Help Care for Rescued Animals in Cambodia

We are thrilled to announce that the Elephant Conservation Center at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center is officially open! Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center (PTWRC) receives approximately 300,000 visitors each year, 200,000 of which are native Cambodians. Though visitors are able to see native animals firsthand, PTWRC was sorely lacking in educational opportunities and materials. Wildlife Alliance set out to create the Elephant Conservation Center to maximize the potential for learning and conservation engagement.

The Elephant Conservation Center provides PTWRC visitors with an in-depth, interactive education on elephants, the threats elephants face in Cambodia, and solutions that can protect elephant populations. Visual and interactive educational materials are shown in Khmer and English to maximize impact among PTWRC’s diverse visitors. The visual education exhibits include educational film clips, various sign boards with information on PTWRC elephants’ rescue stories, the history of Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, elephant biology, conservation messages, the various threats elephants face in the wild, and a chart and visual representation of differences and similarities between Africa and Asian elephants. The interactive education exhibits include fun, hands-on activities for visitors. There is even a life-size model of famous PTWRC elephant, Lucky, that instructs visitors to measure around her foot and double the measured result to find out Lucky’s massive height! Gifts for purchase, such as t-shirts, neckties, and canvasses painted by Lucky, will ensure that knowledge acquired at PTWRC follows the visitor back home. Additionally, the gifts for sale will generate sustainable revenue towards the care of PTWRC’s elephants.

The Elephant Conservation Center’s unique educational experience is critical for the long term conservation of this iconic species in Cambodia, and Wildlife Alliance would like to sincerely thank the generous donors that helped make this project a huge success!