Elephant Conservation & Research Fund

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ECRF safeguards wild elephant populations across Africa and Asia by funding evidence-based conservation initiatives.

10/06/2026

Join us, along with a worldwide wildlife conservation community, this weekend in San Francisco, CA!

Discover what it really takes to save an endangered species, and how wildlife conservation is changing the world. At Wildlife Conservation Network 's Wildlife Conservation Expo on October 10, you can join global conservation leaders for an unforgettable day of celebrating wildlife wins, hearing conservation insights and inspiring stories, and learning about actionable solutions.

Get your tickets here: https://events.wcnexpo.org/en/6A2fTG6/2026-wildlife-conservation-expo-5a3tQh5Xh89/overview

09/14/2026

We're back in South Africa this week with Bring The Elephant Home! Endless elephant content incoming...

09/02/2026

🚨Another last-minute spot opened up for the final research program in South Africa! 🐘 It's the best summer camp ever. We promise!

Join us in South Africa to study elephants!🐘

We have one spot that just opened for our South Africa Elephant Research Program from Sep 14-24. During this 10-day trip, we will study behaviour of calves and juveniles, dung sampling for forage and testing new elephant identification technology!

This program is open to people from all fields and levels of experience, from students and professionals to anyone passionate about wildlife and conservation.

Only one spot left!

Go to our website for more info and to sign up: https://bteh.org/africa/elephant-research/?lang=en

08/30/2026

Upcoming free talk by our partner. Ave is a fantastic and informative presenter - catch it if you can!

Next weekend, our Director of Strategy, Ave Owen, will present at the online and free conference of AIP: Anthrozoology as International Practice! 🌿

Ave will talk about the inequities of human-elephant coexistence in Thailand and dive deeper in the deterrent strategies and crop protection costs. Ave will present findings from their master research on the financial and social costs of living near elephants in farms bordering Kuiburi National Park.

Join Ave’s presentation at 2:10pm UTC on Saturday, September 5!
🔗 Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/anthrozoology-as-international-practice-aip2026-tickets-1990882836156

08/27/2026

🐘 What happens when elephants are given more space?

Our new open-access study in Ecology and Evolution followed 75 elephants across five matriarchal herds before and after two internal fences were removed at Kariega Game Reserve, South Africa.

Using GPS collars, behavioural observations, vegetation data and stress hormone analysis, we found that elephants expanded their home ranges, stress levels dropped, social bonding increased, and vegetation did not show disproportionate degradation in areas used by elephants.

During the study, the elephants:
•⁠ ⁠increased their home range by 30%
•⁠ ⁠incorporated natural seasonal rotations reducing browsing pressure on the reserve overall
•⁠ ⁠showed a 108% increase in locomotion
•⁠ ⁠spent 24.3% less time on foraging
•⁠ ⁠increased social bonding by 66%
•⁠ ⁠reduced aggressive behavior by 20%
•⁠ ⁠had a decline of 18% in stress-related physical biomarkers
•⁠ ⁠Importantly, areas that elephants had access to had similar vegetation greenness than areas elephants were restricted from after fence removal.

The findings challenge the idea that elephant management must rely on intensive population management measures, and instead point to the importance of space, connectivity and restoring natural movement - benefiting elephants, ecosystems and humans.

As lead author Brooke Friswold explains:
“It’s not that there are too many elephants — there’s not enough space.”

📄Read the full paper here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.73619
🎥Watch the video of our findings here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTrVmHABlKo

08/21/2026

We are excited and honored to be a part of Nsefu's annual Motorcycle Monkey Run! Even if you don't ride, come on down to Full Circle Salon and join the party!

The 4th Annual Nsefu Wildlife Motorcycle Monkey Run & After Party is happening on Saturday, October 3rd. Nsefu Wildlife, Motorcycle Monkey, Elephant Conservation & Research Fund, Coffee Corner & Full Circle Saloon are teaming UP to STOP extinction in Africa! Join the fun and sign up today! https://bit.ly/4thannual-motorcyclemonkeyrun

08/21/2026

This project was ECRF's origin story 🐘💕 Congratulations to Brooke and Bring The Elephant Home! A special shootout to Kariega Game Reserve, Kariega Foundation, and the magnificent elephants that have been an absolute joy and privilege to watch.

Our new open-access study in Ecology and Evolution followed 75 elep...

08/12/2026

Today, on World Elephant Day, we're pausing to celebrate one of the most remarkable species on our planet, and to reaffirm why we do this work.

Elephants are extraordinary. They show signs of self-awareness. They form bonds that last a lifetime, led by matriarchs whose knowledge, memory, and judgment guide entire families through drought, danger, and everything in between. If you watch a herd for even a few minutes, you'll find it hard to see elephants as anything less than deeply intelligent, deeply feeling beings.

Elephants don't live in isolation, and neither do the people who share their landscapes. That's part of why community-based conservation matters so much to us. Real, lasting protection for elephants has to include the communities who live alongside them every day. When local people are partners in conservation rather than bystanders to it, everyone benefits: elephants gain safer corridors and reduced conflict, and communities gain a stake in a future where wildlife and people can coexist.

Today is for every elephant, and every person working to secure a future where elephants continue to roam, remember, and lead their families for generations to come.

📷 African elephant, Kariega Game Reserve, South Africa
📷 Asian elephant, Kui Buri National Park, Thailand

Credit: ECRF

06/14/2026

Address

PO Box 152297
San Diego, CA
92195

Website

https://www.elephantconservationresearch.org/

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