1. Learn how to think and live a trans-species life—how you might integrate what you admire in elephants and other animals into your values and lifestyle.
2. Helping other animals helps elephants. Extend the “footprint of compassion” to other species. For example, study your beliefs and behavior and reflect on how they affect animals. If what you do and how you live harms animals, follow your heart and change so that animals do not suffer.
3. Support wildlife protection. Learn how to share the environment with other species so that they are able to live without fear of human harm and can raise their young in healthful, ample habitat.
4. Learn more about elephants. There are many informative resources on the Web; here are just a few:
ELEPHANTS IN THE WILD
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org The Owens Foundation, www.owens-foundation.org Amboseli Trust for Elephants, www.elephanttrust.org Elephant Voices, www.elephantvoices.org Elephant Listening Project, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/elephant
ELEPHANT SANCTUARIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD
PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society), www.pawsweb.org The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, www.elephants.com Compassion Unlimited Plus Action Bangalore, www.cupabangalore.org/ SanWild, www.sanwild.org/
5. Support organizations that advocate for elephants and other wildlife and protect their habitats in the wild:
The Kerulos Center, www.kerulos.org
Animal Rights Africa, www.animalrightsafrica.org
In Defense of Animals, www.savezooelephants.com
6. Support local campaigns to move elephants and other animals in captivity to sanctuaries that care for animals in recovery from the trauma of confined captivity. Urge your elected representatives to pass town or city ordinances or statewide laws to ban circuses and other commercial use of wildlife.
7. Do not patronize institutions of captivity: zoos, safari rides, roadside shows, private collections, and events and businesses that use animals for media, entertainment, and profit. Instead, support individuals and organizations that advocate for and protect wildlife cultures.
8. When your local or national newspaper or television station covers elephants or other wildlife, write letters to the editor or station manager. If the media produce informative stories on elephant issues, thank them. If the pieces do not discuss or address the suffering of animals in captivity, write a letter about why elephants and other animals should not be used for entertainment or profit.
9. Share your knowledge. Talk with your friends and family about elephants, and about preserving them in the wild. If you are a teacher, a parent with school-age children, or just someone interested in humane education, find out about sharing your knowledge with class groups and other organizations. Speak out, speak your heart.
10. Buying choices can have a major impact on the habitats of elephants and other wildlife. When giving a gift to a friend, family member, or associate, send a donation in her name to a nonprofit organization that supports wildlife protection. You can also make a big difference just by being a conscious consumer. Look out in particular for:
• Animal products. Don’t buy ivory, even ivory labeled “legal” or “pre-ban.” Don’t buy or use other products that are made from animals.
• Products containing palm oil. Because of increasing world demand for palm oil, habitat land is being taken over at an alarming rate for oil palm plantations. Many everyday products, such as soap, cosmetics, and baked goods, contain palm oil, so read the labels before you buy. Learn more at ran.org/the_problem_with_palm_oil/the_problem/.
• Coffee and chocolate. Increasing demand is leading to loss of rain forest canopy as land is cleared for these crops. Buy only shade-grown and organic products, cultivated without eliminating habitats. Learn more at www.ineedcoffee.com/08/elephant-conflict/.
• Timber and forest products. Look for lumber and other products that have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organization that encourages responsible management of the world’s forests. Learn more at www.fsc.org.