The Current Situation
ELIE and the EVP have historically not received funding from other organizations because the care of the elephants, core operations, and community and conservation projects, was solely reliant on the sustainable ecotourism model we developed. The Covid-19 pandemic saw our visitor numbers drop significantly, and we were closed for a few months in 2020 and most of 2021. Unfortunately, this led to cutbacks in the overall budget for the elephants at the sanctuary, our mobile vet team. As well as, cuts to our community support and human healthcare access programs, which seriously endangers the lives of the vulnerable indigenous group with whom we work closely with. We have also had to reduce our efforts in forest protection. Increased poaching, forest clearing, and land sales have been seen due to funding shortages for forest protection; all of which has long term impacts on the animals, forest, and communities throughout Asia.
Over the few years we have tried to keep our sanctuary and support programs going, with the small income from domestic tourism and donations. We were also amazingly lucky to receive support from World Animal Protection for more than two years for the elephant food, mahouts and a percentage of our monthly costs.
However, grants and donations did not always cover the monthly bills 100%. We are amazed that staff, like our mahouts, continue to come to work to care for their elephants, even though we were getting further behind in wages. Community members continued to provide elephant food supplies on credit, with the promise of payment later. As a result, we now have a backlog of bills that still have not been paid.
To make matters worse, the big return of tourism when the world opened its doors again has not really materialized. With the finishing of our covid crisis support grants at the beginning of 2023, we started relying on tourism again and it is still not covering the monthly budget, let alone having enough to start paying back the backlog.
In summary, we have been trying our best to keep everything running for the elephants, but we still need help. Visitor numbers have not yet returned to normal and we need help clearing this backlog of expenses while the tourism industry recovers. We need help to continue to sustain and bolster ELIE’s innovative elephant welfare, community support, and forest protection programs. Our aim is to provide long-term care for the elephants, continue our vet outreach programs, and to create resiliency, well-being, and sustainability with the communities we work within.
What your support will do
First and foremost, our goal is to sustain and bolster ELIE’s innovative elephant welfare, community support and forest protection programs already in place. The loss in income from wildlife-based tourism programs due to COVID-19 has severely impacted our organization’s fiscal and staff capacity to continue these successful programs. With the overall goal of these programs already to support long-term care for the elephants, vet outreach programs and to create resiliency, well-being and sustainability within the communities we work, bolstering these programs with the funds from donors, while the tourism industry recovers, is critical moving ahead.
With your contribution, together we can continue to provide the highest quality of care for all the elephants at the EVP, and ensure that these continuing turbulent times do not affect their day to day routine. Only if we secure enough funding can we continue to honor our long-standing commitment to the community, through our livelihoods and health care access programs.
While at the same time, with the drop in tourism numbers and income due to the pandemic, it is clear that ELIE and the EVP need to diversify income streams to enable the continuation of the programs we are operating. This realization is also true within the communities we partner with, exhibiting a severe need to explore new opportunities for income generation and adaptation of current traditional ecological practices and knowledge to plan better for the future.
If we are able to secure funding for our current programs to continue, our community program will also seek to:
– Identify new innovative sustainable agriculture models to support local livelihoods
– Identify further funding models for elephant welfare and conservation programs
– Strengthen and adapt programs to protect Cambodia’s remaining forests, biodiversity, and elephants.
– Look towards the future and prepare for other emerging critical conservation issues such as human-elephant conflict.
The challenges we now face due to this pandemic are extreme, and undoubtedly this will not be the last crisis our organization, and the local communities we work with, will meet. As Cambodia continues to experience rapid deforestation and biodiversity loss, unfortunately further crises, locally and globally, may become a reality if we do not adapt and stay focused on the work needed. We hope through donations, grants, and other funding sources to continue to support the Bunong people and their elephants, while also finding new community-based solutions for a resilient and sustainable elephant and community support program.
Sanctuary Wishlist
Running a project in the remote east of Cambodia sometimes limits the access to certain resources. There are also some things that are far outside our reach from general funds raised through the EVP. Therefore we have created a wish list. Some things are small and you may be able to pack them in your suitcase if coming from overseas, (which would be an immense help). Others are a dream, but if you have the means and would like to fundraise and sponsor one of the bigger items that would make a big difference to the project and thus the elephants please contact eliecambodia.manager@gmail.com
Elephant Medicine
There are many medicine supplies and small additions that can help our elephants and also human medical kits onsite. Items that would really help us along the way are :
– We need iodine and lots of it. We use a 10L bottle for Sambo alone ever few weeks, for her foot soaks. – Purchasing a 1L bottle of Iodine in Phnom Penh and donating it to us to help to treat elephant wounds and give foot baths would be an enormous help. Or if anyone works for a medical supply company that would like to sponsor this medicine in bulk, please let us know (Annually we use about 200L).
– Vet Cream – 3 Action – Antibiotic, Anti-Inflammatory & Aesthetic – for example these medications – NeoSooth orNeoCort – you may need to ask your vet to prescribe as a take away medicine for donation overseas.
– Boxes of surgical gloves
– First Aid Supplies (Packets of Plasters, Bandages, Gauze Pads, etc.)
– Antibiotic cream, antiseptic cream, mosquito repellent, de-worming medication for cats and dogs.
– Packets of 500 mg Paracetamol and Ibuprofen (we can buy this here but International brands are better quality.)
For the EVP Site
– Hats, work clothing, rain jackets, work boots, gum boots, etc. (You can use while you are here and leave behind).
– Thick work gloves
– Electric torches (preferably rechargeable)
– Tools of all shapes, kinds, and sizes
Elephant Medical Treatment & Training Areas
We have received some funding over the years from generous donors, where we have continued to develop the centre. Things like gas cookers to heat the water, training fences and Sambos treatment area. This centre however is getting older and needs constant repairs. We would also like to build some small treatment enclosures, for sick elephants that need to spend the night or longer close to the clinic. We would like to build 2 more elephant medical treatment and positive reinforcement training areas within the forest areas. We have one close to base camp and would like 2 more in the bottom of the valley. This would make giving treatment to the elephants much easier and safer, especially the old guys and gals that might not like getting injections very much. Estimate cost for each mini training/treatment fence $1000 – $2000.
Technology
Any working technology is always much appreciated as our work in the field eats these items. Rarely do we get funding for technology, but are super low on computers in the office, so any help goes a long way!
Motorbikes
Most of the project staff have always used their own motos. We would love to give some of the key staff project motos, which are newer and more reliable for ease of work and safety.
Solar Power for the EVP
We currently do not have a consistent green electricity supply at the EVP. We do run a generator for power 3 hours per night and when needed, but we would love to fit out the whole camp with solar. This would be more environmentally friendly, enabling us to have hot showers in the cold season and also so we don’t have to listen to that big smelly generator each night. We have a quote for the full system for the main site and setup cost will be around $10,000, with a solar company in Cambodia that works with NGO’s. If you are interested in supporting all, or even part of this effort, then please drop us a line. 🙂