Our mission
The survival of elephants remains under immense pressure worldwide. Their habitats are disappearing and becoming increasingly fragmented. This is primarily due to human activities such as agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, and deforestation. As a result, elephants are increasingly forced to venture outside protected areas in search of food, water, and space. This increases the risk of conflict between humans and elephants.
Restoring relationships between humans, animals, and ecosystems
When the elephant disappears, we lose not only a magnificent species but also an indispensable link in our nature and ecosystems. Bring The Elephant Home is working towards a future where elephants and humans can thrive together..
For us, nature conservation means more than protecting a species. It is also about restoring relationships between humans, animals, and ecosystems. In nature, you can have experiences that are difficult to describe in words: a sense of wonder, connection, or humility. Perhaps the beginning of positive change lies precisely in such experiences. They can help us look at nature differently and treat it with greater care.
Lasting Positive Change
Change is needed. We see that the people living closest to wild elephants often bear the greatest burdens, while benefiting the least from their presence. That is not fair. That is why our projects in Africa and Asia are inclusive and focused on joint decision-making, shared responsibility, sustainability, equality, pride, and partnership. We believe that sustainable conservation is only possible when local communities are given a voice, support, and resources to help shape conservation.
We see that when people take ownership of solutions, lasting positive change emerges. Sustainable conservation ensures that local communities not only bear the burdens of living with elephants but can also benefit from the advantages and income that the existence and conservation of elephants bring.
Holistic Approach
Our strategy for elephant conservation, developed over a period of more than twenty years, is based on the wide range of values that elephants represent: intrinsic, ecological, economic, cultural, social, and spiritual values. Elephants are not only important to ecosystems or to humans. They are intelligent, social beings with their own needs, relationships, and well-being. Therefore, we look not only at what is needed to protect elephants, but also at how we do it: with respect for elephants, consideration for the people who live with them, and care for the landscapes they share. As humans, we are also nature. It is important that we remain aware of this. A holistic conservation strategy views animals, people, and their habitats as a whole. This strategy yields benefits for both elephants and local communities – and even, we dare say, for the world as a whole!
Humans and elephants, living together safely and justly
Bring The Elephant Home is committed to increasing the survival rate of elephants and creating a world where humans and elephants can live together in harmony. We envision a future where elephants and humans can thrive in safe landscapes. Our projects connect animal welfare, human well-being, and nature conservation, strengthening the interconnectedness between them. This fosters harmonious relationships between elephants, humans, and their habitats. In doing so, mutual benefits arise and ecological systems are restored—systems of which elephants and humans are both a part and dependent. That is what we believe in. That is our mission.
Would you like to help?
We welcome volunteers, donors, and sponsors for our projects in Africa and Asia. Please consider making a donation. Read the personal review of the history of Bring The Elephant Home by founder Antoinette van de Water.
