ACEH - A real team effort

Asian Elephant Support is participating in a significant endeavor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.   This innovative effort, the “Aceh Conservation, Environment, Humanity” (ACEH) program, is working to engage legislators in Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Conservation biologists alone have not been able to slow down the rapid decline in numbers of wildlife species and their wild habitats around the world.  Human-elephant conflict (HEC) has been identified as a major threat to elephant conservation by all Asian elephant range country governments.  The greatest danger HEC poses to elephants is the antagonism it generates among local communities toward wildlife.  

The specific goals of ACEH are:

• Strengthen the concept of “sustainable development”, which has been mandated by the Indonesian Constitution.
• Support the formation and operation of the Aceh Sustainable Development Caucus.
• Facilitate the flow of information about sustainable development to legislators in order to enhance the development of public policies that incorporate sustainability principles.
• Provide technical consultation to Aceh’s Parliament on a variety of issues such as land-use planning.

In January and February of this year, the ACEH team devoted significant time to conducting presentations and meetings with 13 of the 15 political parties in Aceh during the lead up to the local elections in April.  ACEH is building a network of civil society organizations to contribute to this effort.  At present ACEH is planning the agenda and structure for the Caucus, which is expected to begin in October 2014 when newly elected legislators start their terms.

We want to share with you the ACEH brochure, in English, that summarizes this project.  We appreciate our supporters who, in turn, enable us to be a small part of this major effort for wildlife in Aceh and throughout Asia.

View fullsize

Update - Elephants at ERU camps and Sun Bear release

As usual, the Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (VESSWIC) veterinarians are working diligently for elephants and other wildlife in Sumatra.  In August, the team visited the Elephant Conservation Centers (ECC) in Minas and Sebanga in the province of Riau.  After VESSWIC assisted the Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) with a few cases involving wild and captive elephants, the head of BKSDA Riau sent a formal request for regular health care support.  VESSWIC will be collaborating with the BKSDA to improve the care of the elephants in the Riau elephant camps.  The initial plan is to do quarterly visits for the next 12 months. During this trip the vet team was invited to visit a small conservation forest area inside a pulp and paper production forest. The company with in this conservation area, Arar Abadi Pulp and Paper Company, currently manages 6 elephants, but the management of these elephants will be going back to BKSDA Riau.  The BKSDA and Ara Abadi would like to establish an elephant patrol unit in the Bengkalis district, which is an area of high human-elephant conflict. VESSWIC was asked to evaluate the health and general management of the elephants to determine if they could be used for patrol.  Furthermore, BKSDA has asked VESSWIC to provide technical assistance to establish this new Conservation Response Unit (CRU)/ Elephant Patrol Unit.

Last medical check before transport

In our last update in the April newsletter, VESWIC had assisted BKSDA Aceh with a sun bear rescue.  We are happy to report that two of the sun bears that were being kept in quarantine at the BKSDA headquarters have been released into the Ulu Massen forest area. One of the bears had been confiscated from an illegal private holding facility and the other had been injured in a wire snare and brought to the headquarters for treatment.  

Loading the boat to go deep into the forest

With your support, AES has been able to make a three year commitment to VESSWIC to help them continue the work they are doing for the wildlife and humans living in Sumatra.

Leaving the transport cage

Teaching the Next Generation the Value of Elephant Conservation

Vanessa presenting

On November 11, 2014 Director Vanessa Gagne took a trip to Evans Middle School in McKinney, Texas.  She was invited to speak there by their science education coordinator.  The purpose of her presentation was to highlight the current lessons in the 6th grade science curriculum using elephants as a teaching tool.  She began with how modern elephants evolved, the different types of modern elephants, and tied it all together with how the children can make a difference in the conservation of these amazing creatures. 

Vanessa gave six, 45 minute presentations that school day to some really engaged and bright-eyed kids.  She was fortunate to be able to take elephant tail hair with her for the students to touch and she talked about adaptation for the purpose of function; the hair on our heads is made out of the same stuff!

All in all the kids were very receptive and asked a ton of questions; she barely had time to go to the next slide in most cases.  Vanessa reports that it was so rewarding to teach the next generation about not just the conservation of elephants, but of all animals and plants worldwide.

35th Annual EMA Conference

Director Vanessa Gagne, President Linda Reifschneider, and Vice President April Yoder

This year the Elephant Manager's Association conference was held in Toledo, Ohio and hosted by the Toledo Zoo.  Ben Whitebread, their elephant manager, and his crew put together a wonderful program full of a wide variety of topics to both educate and entertain.  AES was well represented at the conference with three directors and one chairperson in attendance.  AES president Linda Reifschneider presented on behalf of AES, while Vice President, April Yoder presented on behalf of the EMA Conservation Committee (another hat she wears). You may remember in the past an effort in collaboration with the EMA to provide hoof knives for mahouts in Assam, India.  This year AES is supporting the EMA/IEF effort to raise funds for the knives which will be sent to Myanmar this go around.

We were also pleased to become reacquainted with the two co-founders of Wildlife SOS, Geeta Sheshamani and Kartick Satyanarayan, who work diligently in India to rescue and rehabilitate not just elephants, but sloth bears among many other animals in need.  We discussed the possibility of collaborating with SOS Wildlife in the future and will be looking for ways to work together to improve the care and conservation of elephants in India.

All in all the trip was full of friends and colleagues, old and new, the chance to visit two elephant programs at both Toledo and Cleveland, and two days full of engaging presentations.  Again, we'd like to thank the Toledo Zoo and all of those who made this conference possible.

Elephant Day in Assam, India

Half-way around the world, Dr. Kushal Sarma also celebrated Elephant Day. He held the event at the Assam Agricultural University on September 21st.  The event had to be scheduled early due to school closures, but we don’t think the elephants minded, at least not the two that took part in this celebration, as they were treated to sugarcane, banana stems, and soaked gram (a popular legume found in many Indian dishes)!

The celebration started with a demonstration of elephant healthcare procedures followed by an exhibition of elephant literature, lectures, and a video.  The program started at 7 a.m. and lasted until 1:30 p.m. and included tea and snacks for the participants.  The four mahouts received Asian Elephant Support shirts (see the pictures) and the 35 participating veterinary students received a copy of Dr. Sarma’s book, Elephant Care, and a participation certificate.

Thank you, Dr. Sarma, for providing your students this extra learning opportunity!

AES helps to further a veterinarian's education

Mr. Pham Van Thinh, a veterinarian from the Daklak Elephant Conservation Center in Vietnam, attended the "Asian Elephant Health, Reproduction and Breeding Management" course, which took place in Sri Lanka this summer. This training course was conducted by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya, in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College of the University of London, UK, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Chiang Mai University, Thailand, and the National Elephant Institute in Lampang, Thailand. The partner institutes were the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Sri Lanka, Department of National Zoological Gardens (DNZG), Sri Lanka, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, USA.

The course focused on the management, nutrition, health, reproduction and breeding of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) with additional discussions on local and regional conservation issues. It had two components: a stand-alone distance learning (online-based) course of 6 weeks duration (12th May – 10th June 2014) that participants completed from their home countries; and a hands-on practical training course of one-week (7th – 11th July 2014) that was conducted on-site in Sri Lanka. The on-site training was conducted at the University of Peradeniya, Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Elephant Transit Home and Uda-Walawe National Park.

The course was attended by 22 participants from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. Asian Elephant Support was proud to sponsor Dr Van Tinh Pham from Vietnam, who works at the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in the central highland province of Dak Lak. The ECC aims to protect both wild and domestic elephants in the Dak Lak province, where elephant population numbers are critically low.

The central highlands region is Vietnam's primary elephant habitat. The Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre reported that the central highlands region had around 502 captive and more than 550 wild elephants in 1980, but all that are remain now are 49 captive elephants and five herds of wild elephants numbering 60-70 individuals. Shrinking forests, illegal poaching, shortage of food, improper breeding techniques, and overworking have been the cause of deaths of both captive and wild elephants. Experts estimate that the captive elephant population will disappear in 20-30 years if they do not reproduce. According to the Dak Lak ECC, the reproduction rate of captive elephants over the past 30 years has been only 0.6 % per year, and the rate has dropped even further now because of limited opportunity to breed. To boost the captive population there is now an emphasis on reproduction, which was a primary focus in the training course attended by Dr Van Tinh Pham.

Asian Wildlife Conservation Day at the Woodland Park Zoo

Saturday, August 9th was Asian Wildlife Conservation Day at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. This day was dedicated to bringing awareness to the many animals of Asia who are in need of protection.

I have been volunteering for AES for about 4 years and live near Seattle, and I had the honor of setting up a table for AES at the event. I brought along my two helpers: my husband, Monte, and our 10-week old baby, Ari! We were very excited that our table was set up next to the elephant exhibit, because people coming to see Chai, Bamboo and Wototo also got to learn a little bit about what AES does (and Ari got to see his first elephant!).

We had some great conversations with people who truly care about the future of Asian elephants. The Woodland Park Zoo is doing great work to help secure a future for Asian elephants and we were honored to take part in the day’s festivities. We would like to extend a thank you to the Zoo for hosting us, and an even bigger thank you to Bobbi Miller, Fred Koontz and Pat Mulay for everything they did to help us feel welcome.

Hope for Elephants in India!

Our collaborative campaign with Hope Elephants, “Partners for Pachyderms”, has come to an end and we are thrilled to say it was a success!  We surpassed our goal and raised $2105 for Dr. Kushal Sarma’s Elephant Healthcare and Emergency Response Program in Assam, India.  We are truly grateful to everyone that has made it possible for Dr. Sarma to continue his  amazing work for these elephants. 

World Elephant Day at the Little Rock Zoo

Arkansas and the weatherman provided a lovely resort-weather day for this event on August 12th.  The Little Rock Zoo education department and elephant barn offered crafts for the kids, promoted the 96 Elephant Campaign to help African elephants, and invited Asian Elephant Support down to talk with their visitors about our efforts helping elephants in Asian range countries.  Saint Louis Zoo docent and AES volunteer, Cynthia Christison, accompanied Linda and helped with our table of information as well as T-shirts and bumper stickers that were available for purchase.  And lovely Asian elephant Babe, who likes to paint, had 7 of her masterpieces gobbled up by her admiring public and donated the funds to help her cousins across the ocean.  Thank you Little Rock Zoo for a most enjoyable celebration of Asian elephants!

Partnering for pachyderms

A Caring Collaboration for Asian Elephants

 Our story
Asian Elephant Support (AES) and Hope Elephants are working together to improve the lives of elephants living in the wild and in human care. 

Hope Elephants is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization that is bringing a small number of retired or injured Asian elephants to Maine from circus herds for care and rehabilitation. Hope Elephants is also an educational destination where visitors, especially school-age children, have an opportunity to see, hear, and interact with the animals as a platform to present the big issues surrounding conservation, habitat destruction, and ecology.

Asian Elephant Support is also a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization that supports the care and conservation of elephants inAsian range countries.  AES’s mission is to:

•  Provide financial assistance and support for the health, welfare and conservation of elephants in Asian range countries.
• Provide educational opportunities and supplies to those who care for captive Asian elephants in range countries.
• Increase awareness and offer support for human-elephant coexistence to help protect the needs and future of the Asian elephant.

By combining efforts, resources, and expertise, we can accomplish more and make a greater impact for elephants in Asian range countries.

The impact
This project will directly benefit the wild and captive population of elephants in Assam, India.  Even though elephants play an important role in the culture and religion of India, there are relatively few individuals with elephant veterinary expertise.   Often the elephants live in remote locations and are difficult to reach, which makes responding to emergency situations more challenging. 

AES has been workingwith Dr. Kushal Sarma since 2011 to improve the lives of the elephants in Assam.  Because of his knowledge and willingness, Dr. Sarma is called to respond to health related elephant emergencies when needed.  As human-elephant conflict increases, so does the number of emergency situations.

What we need
The funds raised in this project will be used to support Dr. Sarma’s Elephant Healthcare and Welfare- Emergency Response Program in Assam, India. By being able to respond to emergency situations, the wild and captive elephants will receive the desperately needed veterinary care they deserve.

Our minimum ask is $2000 and any additional funds will be used to provide medicine and supplies for Dr. Sarma’s Elephant Health Care Clinics throughout Assam.

We will be sending out more information about this soon, but feel free to visit our website if you can't wait to learn more!

2014 Annual Board Meeting

Our 2014 annual meeting was held in Norfolk, Virginia, the weekend of May 30-June 2.  The meeting was held at the offices of Atlantic Commtech Corp and our thanks to Mr. Kelly Thorp for making his conference room (and coffee pot!) available to us. Saturday began with an early walk on the beach with host, Director April Yoder, and her canine companion, Minnie, followed by a full day of work, interrupted only for lunch and dinner.  We met again all day Sunday, with the exception of a break to visit the Virginia Zoo and their two African elephants, Cita and Lisa, and keepers Jason and Denise.  It was a very productive weekend and offered the great perk of some really wonderful seafood dining.

With heavy hearts... Noy's passing

Asian Elephant Support has previously collaborated with ElefantAsia on medicines for their mobile clinics and a second dart gun. In August, 2013, AES president Linda delivered to the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury, Laos, a portable scale. It was on this trip that she met Noy, a young orphaned calf the Wildlife Department brought to the ECC for care. It was the too-familiar seesaw of periods of improvement followed by not so good times, The scale was finally showing some steady weight gains when tragedy struck and we believe it is best told by those who were with him and caring for him.

Noy arrived in ECC at the end of May.  He had been spotted by villagers in a farm, close to Nam Pouy's protected area. We told you about his story there. Exactly one month ago, Noy had an accidental fall that left him with severely restricted mobility of his hind legs. He fell down a slope inside his enclosure, a sliding fall of approxiately 1.5 meters, which under normal circumstances would be very unlikely to cause large trauma. A veterinary team was with him within 30 seconds. Unfortunately, radiography is impossible on animals Noy’s size, so there was no way of knowing all of the underlying causes of his symptoms. In the hope that his injuries were reversible, and to avoid and ease the many side effects that comes from being 400 kilos and immobile, Noy has had a devoted team of veterinarians, a biologist, assistants, students and friends working around the clock to try to rehabilitate him and at least keep him happy.

Devastatingly, despite all the best efforts, Noy’s condition had not improved as hoped, but instead in the last few days it declined rapidly until finally yesterday he died quietly.

The post mortem investigations showed that bones in Noy’s back legs were broken in his fall and that he suffered from metabolic bone disease, which means that the skeleton is not as strong as it should be.

Metabolic bone disease is a condition that is painfully common among orphan elephant babies, who don’t get access to the important mother’s milk. From his first day in the center, Noy had been given a carefully composed diet, including mineral supplements and great efforts had been made to provide everything a growing baby elephant body needs. Unfortunately, baby elephants cannot digest cow’s milk and there is no perfect formula that would meet their special needs. The uptake of minerals to the bones is very complex and even with all the building blocks provided, Noy’s body had not been able to create strong enough bones. No cure exists for broken legs in elephants; he would never have been able to walk again.

We will always remember this beautiful and amazingly strong little elephant that touched so many hearts.

After a ceremony, where all the team was able to say goodbye. Noy is now in the forest where he loved to play, resting forever together with his best friends, the red and green plastic reindeer, Jean Paul I and II.

Elephant Veterinarians Sharing Knowledge in Myanmar

Second Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop Participants

In March 2014, Asian Elephant Support (AES) collaborated with other organizations to host the Second Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. This workshop was hosted by the University of Veterinary Science and the Myanmar Timber Enterprise and was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Asian Elephant Conservation Fund.

Bath time at Pinloung timber camp.

Workshop participants were veterinarians from around Asia who have field experience in elephant health and medicine. Participants represented several Asian elephant range countries including India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.  Other guest speakers came from Singapore and the United States.  The presentations covered general elephant health issues, disease management, and foot care, while the practical sessions addressed laboratory protocols and wildlife immobilization. In addition, the workshop provided participants with the opportunity to visit several elephant facilities in the area, including the zoo and a working timber camp.  One of the highlights for the participants was the chance to see the sacred white elephants, which are housed in a special pavilion in Nay Pyi Taw.

Veterinarians from Sri Lanka and Nepal share experiences.

AES helped host the first regional veterinary workshop in Sumatra, Indonesia, in March 2012. These regional workshops are an important opportunity for elephant veterinarians to network and to share  experience and information. By continuing to provide these educational opportunities and by providing support for medical equipment and supplies in Myanmar, AES is demonstrating our continued commitment to improve the health of wild and captive elephants in Asia. We believe in the power of education. Helping people help elephants is a powerful way to brighten the future of Asian elephants!  If you share our belief that support for educational opportunities is important to maximize learning and communication for veterinarians and other elephant care givers, please consider making a donation today.

Refrigerator donated by AES to store elephant medicine and samples

Waiting for medical check-up at Pinloung timber camp.

Little Rock Zoo & A Birthday Bash to Boot

On Saturday, March 29, the Little Rock Zoo chapter of the Association of American Zoo Keepers (AAZK) hosted a “Birthday Bash” for their three female Asian elephants: Zina (53 yrs.), Sophie (45 yrs.), and Babe (39 yrs.). Asian Elephant Support was invited to participate in the gala and we were given a table at the event to interact with their visitors and introduce them to AES.  AES president, Linda, also gave a presentation for the staff and volunteers on Friday to update them on our work over the past two years.

The Birthday Bash began at 10 a.m. and while the girls were enjoying a bright, but windy, spring day in their yards, the barn was opened to visitors.  Throughout the barn, there were educational tables with kids crafts and games.Zina, Sophie, and Babes paintings, other art work, and some nifty silent auction events were offered for sale. There was also a table displaying some of the tools used in elephant husbandry with a keeper there to explain the “how’s” and answer the “why’s”.  At the AES table there were brochures, signs, and T-shirts and bumper stickers for sale. Linda was able to interact with the visitors, discuss important elephant conservation issues, and explain how AES’s projects support the captive and wild elephant populations in Asia.   A steady stream of visitors enjoyed the opportunities this event presented.  At 2 p.m. the barn was emptied and everyone gathered around the girls’ yards as they received their birthday presents and individual birthday cakes on this special day!

Zina, Sophie, Babe, their keepers, zoo staff and volunteers, and the entire Little Rock Zoo AAZK Chapter are all ambassadors for the elephants' wild cousins, as they most generously donated half of the proceeds from their sales that day to Asian Elephant Support!  What an amazing birthday party when “giving” is every bit as celebrated as “getting”!   AES is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, which means Little Rock Zoo’s entire generous donation of $664 will be put to work helping improve the health, welfare, and conservation of elephants in Asian range countries.

It was a wonderful day with good people who are dedicated to the animals in their care.  Thank you, Little Rock Zoo staff, volunteers, and especially AAZK Chapter members and elephant barn keepers!  And thank you, too, Zina, Sophie and B

Field Update - Bear Rescue

On February 13, the Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (VESSWIC) veterinarians visited the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in Minas to assist with the emergency treatment of a juvenile male elephant suffering from chronic weight loss and weakness.  Unfortunately, upon their arrival, the vets found the elephant had already collapsed and had been lying down for two days. After intensive emergency care, the elephant was able to regain its ability to stand up and walk around for a short time, but he sadly passed away the following day.  A post mortem was conducted and besides progressed emaciation, vast and chronic lesions were found in the lung tissues. Additional results from a laboratory are still awaited to determine the exact cause of death.

February 26 - March 1, VESSWIC veterinarians assisted the Nature Conservation Agency in Aceh Province with a sun-bear rescue.   Dr. Anhar Lubis, Aceh Province veterinarian Dr. Rosa, and Dr. Arman, a lecturer from the veterinary faculty in Aceh, joined in this operation.  The male juvenile sun-bear had a serious injury around his left front leg caused by a wire snare in which he had been trapped.  Villagers had released the bear from the snare a few days before the veterinarian team arrived in this remote location and kept him in a small cage. 
 
The infected wound was too serious to allow immediate release back into the wild, so the bear was taken to Nature Conservation Agency headquarters in Banda Aceh for quarantine and further treatment.  Thanks to VESSWIC providing all of the necessary supplies, drugs, and logistics, Dr. Rosa was able to extend the necessary treatment and care for the sun-bear for several weeks.  Currently two more juvenile sun-bears, recently confiscated from illegal trade, are in quarantine, and received intensive health checks and several medical treatments.  The three bears will be released back into the wild when all wounds are healed and the animals are in stable condition. 
 
During the treatment of the bears in quarantine, Dr. Arman and Dr. Arthur invited students from the veterinary faculty to participate in the treatment and handling of the bears. This allowed the veterinary students to get first-hand experience and training in providing the medical needs and the handling of wildlife.

Field Update - Snare Victim Yekti

In our January 2014 newsletter, AES announced our 3 year commitment to the Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (VESSWIC). We would like to share an update on a couple of elephant projects from our VESSWIC partners.

The Sumatran elephant is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered, but every birth gives us hope for the future of this species.  On January 16, 2014 at the Way Kambas Elephant Conservation Center, the elephant Mela, gave birth to a healthy male calf weighing approximately 200 pounds.  This was Mela’s second calf.Unfortunately, she attacked and killed her first calf in 2011 immediately after it was born. This time she was a bit nervous, but remained reasonably calm towards the calf. After a short time she accepted the calf and allowed it to nurse. Two months later, she has adapted well to her role as a mother and the calf is doing well.

Back in November 2013, a female calf was rescued from the wild with a serious wire snare injury to her front left leg. VESSWIC provided the medical supplies for her treatment and is also providing food and milk supplements.  They are happy to report that the calf, named Yekti, is also doing well.

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is still a growing problem for both humans and elephant in Sumatra, Indonesia.  In January VESSWIC Elephant Healthcare Program veterinarians assisted the Nature Conservation Agency and Frankfurt Zoological Society and fitted two wild elephants with GPS collars.  This is part of an HEC monitoring program that is being conducted in the Bukit Tiga Puluh forest area in the province of Jambi.

By working together, we can make a difference in the health, welfare, and conservation of elephants in Asian range countries.  AES is proud to support these dedicated individuals who are working hard every day.

 

Laos Update

In November 2013, AES provided funding for an elephant caregiver from the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in Laos to attend the 6th mahout workshop in Sumatra.

We are pleased to report that as promised, Kan returned to Laos and shared the knowledge he gained at the workshop with the veterinarians and mahouts at the ECC. He has been working very hard and has been given more responsibility. He is now the Elephant Manager, and among other things, is in charge of scheduling for the mahouts, elephant diets, forest management, and is a link between the ECC and the Laotian government.

While Kan was at the mahout workshop, he initiated several conversations with the other mahouts about caring for calves. We are proud of Kan's determination to return to Laos to improve the lives of the two calves living at the ECC. As a result of the dedication of Kan and the other volunteers and staff, the orphan calf at the ECC is thriving. His name is Noy and he now weighs 705 pounds! They have started a training program based on positive reinforcement and Noy enjoys “playing” along. Ultimately, the future of the elephants in Laos is in the hands of the Laotian people and we will continue to support the individuals working diligently every day to improve the lives of the elephants in Laos.

Noy enjoying a dust bath

Aceh Conservation, Environment, Humanity Program

A Real Team Effort..

Asian Elephant Support is participating in a significant endeavor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.   This innovative effort, the “Aceh Conservation, Environment, Humanity” (ACEH) program, is working to engage legislators in Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Conservation biologists alone have not been able to slow down the rapid decline in numbers of wildlife species and their wild habitats around the world.  Human-elephant conflict (HEC) has been identified as a major threat to elephant conservation by all Asian elephant range country governments.  The greatest danger HEC poses to elephants is the antagonism it generates among local communities toward wildlife.

The specific goals of ACEH are:

• Strengthen the concept of “sustainable development”, which has been mandated by the Indonesian Constitution.
• Support the formation and operation of the Aceh Sustainable Development Caucus.
• Facilitate the flow of information about sustainable development to legislators in order to enhance the development of public policies that incorporate sustainability principles.
• Provide technical consultation to Aceh’s Parliament on a variety of issues such as land-use planning.

In January and February of this year, the ACEH team devoted significant time to conducting presentations and meetings with 13 of the 15 political parties in Aceh during the lead up to the local elections in April.  ACEH is building a network of civil society organizations to contribute to this effort.  At present ACEH is planning the agenda and structure for the Caucus, which is expected to begin in October 2014 when newly elected legislators start their terms.

We want to share with you the ACEH brochure, in English, that summarizes this project.  We appreciate our supporters who, in turn, enable us to be a small part of this major effort for wildlife in Aceh and throughout Asia.

Aceh Brochure Page 1

Aceh Brochure Page 2

VESSWIC 3 Year committment

AES has been working with the Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (VESSWIC) since 2010 to improve the health of the captive population of elephants in Sumatra, Indonesia.

VESSWIC's goal is to contribute to the conservation of Sumatran wildlife by providing various kinds of veterinary expertise and services. To achieve their goal, a wide range of conservation activities, projects, programs, and collaborators are needed. Sustainability of these efforts is critical, and sustainability requires regular and dependable funding.

AES has supported VESSWIC with specific needs for general veterinary care, elephant patrols, veterinary and mahout workshops, and urgent care for orphaned calves.

Now we are pleased to announce that we have made a commitment to VESSWIC of $5,000 annually for three consecutive years beginning January 2014.

Sustainability is a key strategic objective for all organizations, and a reliable source of income helps us make long-term commitments to projects such as VESSWIC to produce sustainable change over time. Some examples of welfare and conservation efforts that require long-term commitments include:

• Regular veterinary care requires expertise and regular visits over extended periods.
• Training and professional development can require hands-on and academic learning on an annual basis. Care for an orphaned calf may extend years after the initial emergency support.
• Animal hospitals require ongoing operational costs.
• Effective elephant patrol units require skilled mahouts and healthy and well-trained elephants that can patrol regularly to make a difference long term.

A New Volunteer for AES

Wrylie has been working for the Topeka Zoo for about six years, three of which have been with elephants. She started there as an intern in high school. Her love for elephants developed at an early age with books and stories but also getting to see the two elephants at the Topeka Zoo. She wanted to get involved with AES because of our projects in range countries. She was willing to help in any way she could, and she has had training in web development and maintains the Topeka Zoo website, so it was a perfect match for her to help with our website. Wrylie's help has already proven invaluable and we're incredibly grateful that she is willing to extend her expertise for our benefit. Welcome, Wrylie! We're so glad to have you on board.