Jun 22

Disney Emergency Support Will Help Move 60 Elephants in Africa to a New Home

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Baby elephant. Photo courtesy of IFAWThe Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) is providing emergency support to Conservation Solutions (CS) to help translocate more than 60 elephants that are currently living amongst communal farming lands in the district of Mangochi, Lake Malawi. Due to increased competition between humans and elephants for natural resources there has been a dramatic upswing in illegal poaching, poisoning and other efforts to manage the animals.

CS has partnered with the Malawi government and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to move the entire herd of elephants from their current location to the Majete Wildlife Reserve located in Malawi and encompassing more than 172,000 acres of land. Already, CS has been able to relocate 18 elephants, with the intension to move more than 60 over the next few weeks.   DWCF Rapid Response funding will be used to cover transportation costs and road repair to move the elephants safely.  IFAW representatives reported that a crowd between of nearly 1,000 community members gathered along the road to celebrate the start of the elephants’ departure to a safe and secure area.

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has supported elephant conservation efforts in both Asia and Africa since the 1990s, providing almost $700,000 to 20 organizations including Fauna and Flora International, International Elephant Foundation and Save the Elephants.