My Cause
Ear to the Wild Foundation’s mission
To conserve the habitat and protect the Indian wild elephants while focusing on reducing the fatalities from elephant-human conflict in partnership with communities and the Indian government. Our prime focus lies in arresting elephant-train collisions.
The Indian elephant is a symbol of National pride and culture and is crucial to the longevity of forests and grasslands. It thrives on the Indian subcontinent and is spread across 15 different states and 30 notified Elephant Reserves (ERs). Since 1896, the Asian Elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population has declined by at least 50% since the 1940s.
We Dream Big
To arrest elephant train collision hits across the country (from 300 elephant deaths per year to none) by applying technological, smart solutions on the train, on the track and the forest periphery with the cooperation and support of local communities, the Ministry of Forest & Environment (MOEF), The Wild Life Institute of India (WII) and the Indian Railways (IR).
We have commenced our work in the forests of West Bengal, where EWF has installed two sensors already. We will continue working the acoustic sensors while conducting experiments to test other technologies that will bring the solution closer to fruition. Once a solution is approved by WII and MOEF, we intend on installing these sensors across all Railway lines prone to elephant collisions and regularly monitor and maintain the factual data of detection, alerts and gaining success in arresting an elephant – train hit with the assistance of the local authorities and WII.
EWF is stepping forwards in appealing to the Supreme Court of India and the Indian Jurisdiction to support specific plans that prohibit certain high elephant traffic train lines from operating. We intend on working towards relocating the elephants from high concentration areas to other more secure regions within the country.
Ear to the Wild Foundation will also facilitate technological solutions to prevent elephants dying from electrocution by alerting the farming communities surrounding the forests and empowering them with a solution that protects their livelihood as well as the elephant. We intend on devising a non-intrusive elephant repellent that is both affordable and accessible to the local communities that suffer from elephant wrath and destructive hunger behavior.
Our dream and objective are to increase the Indian elephant population while consciously working towards solutions to restrict elephant – human conflict. We look at issues surrounding the elephant from a macro as well as a micro level, and dedicate ourselves to securing and protecting the elephant habitat and eco- system with more Elephant Reserves (ERs) as well as safe elephant corridors.
We inspire to enable eco-elephant tourism by converting the very train lines that killed the most elephants into possible safari trains that allow elephant and other wild animal sightings for tourists in harmony with the forest and railways.