Background

The last 2000 magnificent and critically endangered Sumatran elephants are now restricted to small forest remnants in Sumatra, and extinction will be inevitable if their habitat continues to be lost at the rate it has shrunk in the last 25 years.

At Way Kambas National Park, the Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) is home to 70 working elephants (3.5% of entire population of Sumatran elephants), some of which are orphans, rescued with injuries resulting from conflict with local farmers or from cruel poacher snares - Yeti (below) is now living at the Centre; and patrol elephants - protecting wild herds and villages from human-elephant conflict.

Health Management is Critical

The Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) is funded by the Indonesian Government, but the elephants are in desperate need of better health management. Recent welfare improvements include, fresh drinking-water systems, shelters and an elephant hospital, all donated by Australians.

However, one big and urgent problem remains - FOOD.

The quantity and quality of the elephants' food is very poor, and it is having a tragic impact on their health.

In the wild elephants eat a wide variety of plants and normally consume for 20 hours/day. But the 70 captive elephants are restricted to a monotonously dull, low-volume, low-nutrition diet of coconut leaf and low-grade grasses.

A local solution that works

SIES is working with local managers to establish an elephant food farm, to grow high volume foods of high nutritional value.

This is a 'one off' project. Once established, the farm will be sustainable financially from the funding provided by the Indonesian Government.

First and foremost, the farm will provide vital nourishment for the 70 working elephants and orphaned babies in care at the ECC. But also local villagers, who's farms have been damaged by wild elephants, will benefit by working on the farm for extra income. This income support will change their perception of elephants and conservation.





You can help

The elephant food farm project is urgent and needs financial support if it is to proceed. While the full cost is $70,000, SIES aims to contribute $25,000.

We need to establish the farm before food funding cuts off at end of year 2017. As soon as we have reached our target the farm will commence. Please donate to this compelling cause?

For more information about SIES work with elephants www.siesfund.org/



