Center for Elephant Conservation

The Endangered Asian Elephant – How You Can Help


Although not native to our country, the Asian elephant has been beloved by Americans ever since the first elephant visited the United States as part of a circus over 200 years ago. Asian elephants amaze and delight us with their intelligence, beauty, strength and agility. Unfortunately, the Asian elephant is a critically endangered species, with an estimated worldwide population fewer than 35,000 animals in the world. The worldwide conservation community is well aware of this crisis, with animal protectionists working hard in Southeast Asia and Asia to protect the Asian elephants’ dwindling natural habitats and prevent the ever-growing conflicts between elephants and humans as they compete for space and resources. The problem may seem far away, but there are steps you can take to help the Asian elephant survive into the next century and beyond: Education Learning more about Asian elephants is the first step toward appreciating the species and understanding their plight in the wild. Studies have shown that the public display of exotic animals such as Asian elephants contributes to heightened public awareness of the animals themselves and of man’s responsibility for their well-
being and protection. A Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® performance offers a unique opportunity to experience Asian elephants up close and personal. Your local zoo may also have an Asian elephant exhibit. If you can’t see an elephant in the flesh, the Internet is a great resource for facts and figures about the Asian elephant – check out the following sites: Ringling Online at www.ringling.com with information on our performing elephants.
The National Zoo at www.nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/asianelephants/ has live EleCam to view the elephant house and the elephants’ outdoor enclosure! Riddle’s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary at www.elephantsanctuary.org has information on the proper care and handling of elephants, and you can even sponsor an elephant at the sanctuary. Support the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund
	Ringling Bros. teamed with conservation organizations to support The Asian Elephant Conservation Act. The Act, which assists in the conservation of Asian elephants by supporting and providing financial resources to conservation programs within the Asian elephant range states, where funds are desperately needed to help this species. The Act was signed into law in 1997, and is a project of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ringling Bros. is also a member of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation whose mission is to educate U.S. policymakers and the world's political and business leaders on the vital links between good natural resource management and sustainable economic development, poverty alleviation and regional security. For more information on the ICCF go to: www.iccfoundation.us
Support the efforts of Asian elephant conservation groups There are a number of respected conservation organizations that are working to protect the Asian elephant and to educate the American public to the Asian elephant’s plight:
International Elephant Foundation (www.elephantconservation.org) Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (http://www.slwcs.org) Thai Elephant Conservation Center (http://changthai.com) Wildlife Trust (http://www.wildlifetrust.org)