An Elephant Sized Thank You to Ellen Vrana

An Elephant Sized Thank You to Ellen Vrana

You really did wonders and really saved the day for us Ellen, through the very large donation that you and Mike made and through your efforts to gather support for Chengeta. 

Here is a small message of thanks and a little surprise for you:

Take care,

Rory

Days of Their Lives

February 18, 2014
We’ve pulled into a rest stop, probably one of only a few in the entire Ngorogoro Conservation Area. I saw a few large elephants on the way in, larger and closer than I’ve seen so far, so while the others are inside, I’m darting about the carpark, hoping to catch sight of the magnificent creatures.

And then I see them. Gray shapes slowly moving through a grove of trees, delicately feeding. It’s impossible to count how many there are as they wend their way through the vegetation–now you see them, now you don’t. I would guess about eight mothers and calves, but I never see all of them at one time, so it’s hard to say. For something so big they are very good at hiding.

They’re obviously a group. There is some dimension of communication happening that I can’t tune in on, but it doesn’t matter. They know what they are doing. They’ve been doing it for so long now.

The young ones sometimes do the adorable things that young elephants do; sometimes the mothers respond, sometimes they are ignored.

As I stand and watch, what I see before me seems almost like a staged drama, so graceful and precise are the movements of these huge animals as they feed. An elephant drama, played to an elephant script, in elephant time.

And then, slowly, they are gone. I can’t quite see where they went, but they are definitely not here any more.

On the way back to camp I wonder if I saw real animals, or was it just ghosts?

Let’s make this the play that never ends. Contribute to:
Terrorists Are Targeting Africa’s Elephants

The Dawn of the Tusk

Neha Jha

I first met an Elephant when I was a young kid..
it was tied to chains.. near a pond..
I fed it leaves as it looked at me…
I still remember its eyes.

What makes an Elephant so special?

The scientists have compared the emotional intelligence of an Elephant to a child. They grieve for the loss of their loved ones just as we humans do.

It is saddening that for our ridiculous superficial wants we are on the verge of wiping off a majestic creature from the planet.

Is anybody doing anything?

How do they do it:

Rory Young has formed an alliance with Jacob Alekseyev, an American living in Zambia. Alekseyev is a former Major and Federal Agent of the US Air Force, Office of Special Investigations. Together they have worked out a plan of action to stop poaching in the Zambezi River Valley.

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Website : http://chengetawildlife.org

Terrorists are equipping poachers with state of the art weaponry. So, everyday is a struggle for men who are trying to save an elephant from being hunted down.

There are hundreds of people like me all over the globe that have lent a helping hand and have associated to raise a voice for the cause. Let’s not underestimate the power of a collective.
The Elephant crisis demands a global movement!

It is okay to look away but stupid to believe that they are a concern of only a particular nation and people.

Let’s spread the word.

Facebook: Facebook.com/chengetavalley
Twitter: Twitter.com/ChengetaTusk

Concept and Copy: Neha Jha
Editing and Design: Gaurav Joshi

About Chengeta Wildlife

Chengeta Wildlife supports and funds the training of wildlife protection teams in Africa.

Rangers and scouts are brave men who risk their lives to protect wildlife. They may face heavily armed poachers, sometimes ex-guerrilla fighters hired by ivory smuggling syndicates. These rangers  need to have the best training and anti-poaching strategy possible and that is what we provide.

Rory Young is an expert professional tracker with knowledge and practical ability gained over many years in the bush. Since his childhood, he has developed an amazing database of knowledge and skills and a highly developed intuition to become one of the best in his field. By looking at human tracks or “spoor” he can form a description of a person. Approximate height, weight, age, how fast they are traveling, if they are fit, when they were in the area and if they were carrying a load.  At times he can tell if they are carrying weapons. His training is highly sought after.

Young has formed an alliance with Jacob Alekseyev, an American living in Zambia. Alekseyev is a former Major and Federal Agent of the US Air Force, Office of Special Investigations. Together they have worked out a plan of action to stop poaching in the Zambezi River Valley.

1. A poaching hot-spot is identified. Young and Alekseyev study the terrain and information on the area is gathered and analyzed. They form a plan specifically for that area. Young  schedules two weeks of intensive training with the wildlife protection teams that patrol the area.
2. He spends eighteen hours a day training and patrolling with the teams. The strategy to stop poachers in the area is laid out for the teams in  detail.
3. During the training period poachers are arrested when encountered. Young or one of the team members will be recording with a GoPro camera to document the training and wildlife. We will show select footage on our website.
4. After the training session, the wildlife protection teams continue patrols using the new skills and strategy.

Board of Directors  

Sanjay Sabnani, Ben Fraser, Lisa Groeneweg, Rory Young

Board of Advisors

• Christine Leigh Langtree – Australia,
• Kyle Murao – USA
• Nigella Rauben – South Africa
• Usman Rafi – Pakistan
• Xu Beixi – Singapore
• Diana Cretu – Romania
• William McCleary – USA
• Kamuyu Mwai – Kenya
• Liam Gorman – UK
• Scott Danzig – USA
• Marjet Young – Zambia