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Travel Industry Unites for Elephants

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NEW YORK—The Bodhi Tree Foundation (TBTF) announces the launch of its Power of 10 initiative, an expansion of its S.A.F.E. campaign created to “Safeguard a Future for African Elephants.” With 10 percent of Africa’s elephant population lost each year, the next 10 years will decide the species’ fate. And in Asia, disappearing habitats due to logging and urbanization have driven once wild elephants to the cities or tourist camps where they face a debilitating lifestyle.

To counter forces that are aligned against the elephant, the Power of 10 supports 10 elephant conservation projects in 10 critical landscapes that can make a difference in the future of elephants in Africa and Asia. TBTF hopes to raise a minimum of $10,000 for each project by December 8, 2015—World Bodhi Day.

“Our foundation’s board vetted each project carefully, and we are working with 10 local field organizations, each with a proven track record in wildlife conservation across Africa and Asia,” said Jena Gardner, Co-Founder of The Bodhi Tree Foundation.

Wide Range of Projects

Jackie Magid, the Executive Director, adds, “These specific projects range from supporting park rangers in Uganda and Zambia and building watering holes in Kenya and Zimbabwe, to creating a mobile veterinary facility in Thailand and protecting a vital elephant corridor in Cambodia.”

As tourism is vital to the economies of Asia and Africa where it can make a significant impact on the survival of the species, many of S.A.F.E.’s travel partners are providing itineraries in the locales where the projects are based. As a component of the Power of 10 launch, these travel partners are then donating 10 percent of the itinerary proceeds. All itineraries can be found at www.saveafricaselephants.org/travel-itineraries.

The Bodhi Tree Foundation is appealing to the travel industry community and travelers to get involved; 100 percent of every donation to the Power of 10 initiative goes directly to the projects, so any amount given makes an immediate and lasting impact. There is also the opportunity to set up a team fundraising effort to fund a project, or for additional travel companies to create an itinerary that travelers can book to benefit the projects.

To learn more about the campaign and its beneficiaries, visit http://www.saveafricaselephants.org. For more information on The Bodhi Tree Foundation, visit www.thebodhitreefoundation.org.

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