San Diego Zoo Highlights Elephant Conservation in Africa

The San Diego Zoo is highlighting its Project Elephant Footprint campaign, in partnership with Botswana-based Elephants Without Borders. The project aims to conserve and protect the habitats of Africa’s largest elephant population, some 220,000 animals representing nearly half of the elephants left on the continent.

“We hope that by learning more about these elephants in their native habitat in Botswana, people will be encouraged to help protect them,” said Dr. Michael Chase, the Henderson Endowed Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellow for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research and founder of Elephants Without Borders. “Project Elephant Footprint allows everyone to join this conservation effort and become active members of our team.”

The Web-based campaign generates support for efforts by the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research to track and study African elephant herds in southern Africa. It also offers the public an opportunity to help protect the world’s largest mammal while providing an exclusive online tool to follow the movements of these elephants.

Interested sponsors can visit the Project Elephant Footprint Web site here.

Project Elephant Footprint is also being highlighted at the San Diego Zoo’s new multi species habitat, The Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey. The exhibit combines elements of a traditional zoo and natural history museum. It features living relatives of extinct animals that dotted the Southern California landscape more than 12,000 years ago, such as elephants, lions and California condors as well as information regarding Project Elephant Footprint. For more information on the exhibit visit www.elephantodyssey.com.