An Asian Elephant's home range can vary between 3,240 to 16,690 Hectares

This is the amount of forest needed to support the elephant (and herd) with food, water and other critical nutrients. And the Elephants are also an important part of the equation that keeps the forest environment healthy and thriving. The Sumatran elephant consumes copious amounts of vegetation in a day and it deposits a variety of seeds wherever it goes helping keep the forest diverse and healthy.

"Elephants are regarded as an “umbrella species” because their conservation will also protect a large number of other species occupying the same area. They are also a premier “flagship species” and are sometimes regarded as a “keystone species” because of their important ecological role and impact on the environment."IUCN Redlist

DID YOU KNOW: Elephants search for food whilst walking throughout the night - up to 16-18 hours a day! They usually start foraging in the late afternoon and continuing through the night until 2 hours before dawn.

The wild forests of Indonesia are being converted for palm oil and pulp paper at an unprecedented and unsustainable rate. The remaining forest (reduced by 80% in just one elephant generation) is barely sufficient to sustain the surviving elephants and is now verged or intersected by plantations and farms. Deforestation and the accompanying habitat shrinkage have led to major conflict with elephants. Elephants raid food crops, destroy rubber, palm oil and coconut plantations and even more seriously, are increasingly responsible for the destruction of villages and a number of human deaths.

You Can Help: Support our Safeguard program!

Our Safeguard Program gives practical support to our Wildlife Protection Units, the front-line patrols that deter illegal logging, land clearing and wildlife crime. They also provide much needed employment for the young men in the area whose only other option is often to work in the palm oil plantations - or not work at all.

Where Your Money Goes

The "Save Forest" program raises money specifically for the International Elephant Project’s Wildlife Protection Units.

In terms of conservation value for your donation, this program is extremely effective. Not only are you protecting Sumatran elephants to live free in the wild as they should, your donation provides local employment for young men who otherwise have to work in the palm oil industry. The Save Forest program truly works toward stopping the problems facing Sumatran elephantsat the source, rather than once the damage has been done, and the forest is gone.

100% of your donation goes directly towards the Wildlife Protection Units, which includes the running costs for each unit including equipment, wages and uniforms. Every contribution is welcome and appreciated!