Help save Chuilexi's elephants

It’s estimated that every 15 minutes, an elephant is killed. In the time it takes you to eat lunch; travel to work; or read a chapter of a book, these compassionate creatures are being slaughtered one by one. We must protect the remaining elephants before it is too late.

Fauna & Flora International has recently acquired management rights for a new piece of land – named R5 – which sits adjacent to the immensely effective Chuilexi conservancy, and could help protect whole herds of African elephants. This will be fantastic in the long run, but right now it’s under-protected and exposed. Poachers could move in at any moment so it is critical we get protection in place right now.

That’s why we’re asking for your donations today; we urgently need to train and equip rangers to help safeguard this area and the wildlife it inhabits. And there really is no better time to donate because a few of our incredible supporters have been breathtakingly generous and put FFI in a position to not just match whatever amount you give, but to multiply it by 3.6. This means that every pound you gift will enable us to spend £3.60 on protecting African elephants. Every penny of your donation will go directly towards protecting the animals of Chuilexi and could make all the difference to these majestic mammals.

African elephants are a species right at the heart of our natural world – compelling and enigmatic, they are well known and much-loved across our planet. They are the largest living land animal, magnificent and majestic. But in recent times this beloved species has faced a grave danger – poaching.

These gentle giants have been the innocent victims of a horrifying assault. The situation these creatures are in is becoming perilous – if we don’t act now, there might not be any elephants left to save. They have lived peacefully in the wild for thousands of years and it is only in recent times that humans have started to seriously threaten their existence. A problem caused by humans is a problem to be solved by humans – we must act before it is too late. It is our moral obligation.

20% of Africa’s elephant population is estimated to have been lost over the last ten years.

The poaching epidemic has taken a heavy toll, driven by a soaring demand for ivory amongst a growing circle of buyers. The threat is enormous, with truly devastating consequences for the world’s largest land animal. And as the demand increases, the trafficking networks are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and dangerous.

Niassa Special Reserve, Mozambique, is one such place that has been under severe threat from ivory poaching. The elephant population has taken a substantial loss over the last few years – between 2013 to 2018 there was an estimated population decline of 60%.

But one wonderful place in Niassa bucks that trend. Chuilexi.

Chuilexi is one of the few precious places in Africa where elephants are still able to live peacefully. Since its creation in 2012, Chuilexi has emerged as a wild utopia for elephants and many other key species. Thanks to a successful programme of anti-poaching measures, elephant poaching has been virtually eliminated, without a single poaching incident in the last three years. The conservancy is currently believed to hold over a third of the Niassa Reserve’s elephant population within only 17% of the total 42,000 km² area.

R5 (the new land we’ve acquired the rights to) sits directly next to Chuilexi, and that’s why we’re asking for your help to equip Chuilexi’s team with what they need to protect R5 as well.

This is an exciting prospect; however, it also shines a light on the challenge of maintaining and strengthening the anti-poaching efforts needed to keep the elephants in this area safe. This vast expanse of land harbours so much incredible wildlife, but right now it remains unprotected. We urgently need to secure additional funding to extend our existing protection into this new area, safeguarding the wildlife and important habitats there.

• £9 would be multiplied to around £32 – enough to pay for one patrol leader to attend a training event on conservation laws, social safeguards, processes and wildlife behaviour
• £21 would be multiplied to around £76 – enough to fully equip one scout
• £52 would be multiplied to around £188 – enough to operate the patrol aircraft for an hour
• £72 would be multiplied to around £260 – enough to buy a whole new GPS system
• £167 would be multiplied to around £600 – enough to fuel and maintain a vehicle for a month, keeping patrols on the move.
• One incredibly generous gift of £833 would be multiplied to £3,000 – enough to upgrade the whole ops room to enable enhanced monitoring

With R5 unprotected, it is vital that we get this protection in place as soon as possible. With your support, we can give their numbers the chance to stabilise and ultimately save this incredible species.

And this is one of the best possible times to help because we’ve received a truly sensational offer, one that will mean that your gift is worth so much more to these elephants: 3.6 times more, to be exact. That means that your gift of £21 would be worth £75.60 – enough to fully equip one scout.

Preserving and strengthening the achievements of our anti-poaching teams across the Chuilexi conservancy is imperative if we are to succeed in preventing poachers sufficiently to create real change for the precious wildlife there. That’s why we’re asking you – please – donate today and help save elephants.

Fauna & Flora is the world’s oldest conservation charity. Over the last 100 years, we have literally saved species from extinction and even – with the help of our vice-president, Sir David Attenborough – helped bring mountain gorillas back from the brink. We work to protect plants and animals around the globe, and spend 94% of our income on charitable activities.

That’s why we’re sure that – with your help – we still have time to save elephants.

Thank you.