Science

Helping elephants and people coexist

• Adventure
• Inspirational
• Selfless

The Research:

The Uda Walawe Elephant Research Project is the first-ever long-term study of Asian elephants in the wild. Asian elephants are classified as ‘endangered’ under the IUCN Red List, with their number one threat being loss of habitat. This is especially acute in the island nation of Sri Lanka, where elephants are increasingly in conflict with the growing human population.

This work started as my doctoral research, with just me and one field assistant. We follow the lives of close to six hundred Asian elephants, many of whom the two of us have learned to identify as individuals using photographs of their distinctive floppy ears. Now I need your help to take this work even further which is why we're taking part in the #SciFund challenge!

Why field assistants are crucial:

Dedicated field assistants are as good as gold to a research project like ours. A good field assistant is happiest when he or she is out there with the elephants - a trait that's hard to come by. Our work's been so successful that we've expanded, running our own field station which can host other researchers, and now have a total of two full-time assistants and two trainees. We need your help to make this transition by hiring one of these trainees!

My NEW hire:

Tharanga is 18 years old and had never been inside the park despite growing up nearby. By working with us, he's discovered not only that he loves working with nature, but that he can turn it into a full-time career. For several months Tharanga logged many hours as a volunteer trainee, learning to identify and photograph animals, the layout of the park, how to use a GPS, and navigate the computer programs back at the field station. Over the summer he helped us conduct a survey of looking for conflict between farmers and wildlife by interviewing people and trekking through underbrush and muddy paddy fields.

Tharanga has shown he’s able handle the job, and now we’d like to hire him. As a local kid, Tharanga knows his community, and will help us to build bridges between our work and their lives. By employing people like Tharanga, who would otherwise be drawn away from his village in search of low-paying jobs in cities, we are enriching his village – which helps both elephants and people in the long run.

What Your Donation Will Do:

• Just $100 a month makes a great starting salary for someone like Tharanga. Help us hire him, and build local capacity for elephant conservation in Sri Lanka. I'm trying to raise several years' salary for Tharanga, which gives him long-term job security. He'll get additional training as well as opportunities to meet scientists, students, and conservationists from around the world.

• If I raise more than my fundraising goal, it will help cover my other field staff AND I will be able to hire my second trainee as well (hurray)!

Want to know even more?

1. Read more about our work at http://elephantresearch.net
2. Read more about Tharanga and his adventures on our blog here and here.
3. See press about our work:

Want to follow our progress?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElephantConservation
Blog: http://elephantresearch.net/fieldnotes
Twitter*: @AsianEle

*Find me if you donated & I will be happy to tweet thanks and mention you!