Members of PREN – PRO ELEPHANT NETWORK

The Pro Elephant Network consists of a global community of diverse individuals and organisations, united in their common concern for the Nature, their deep association with the natural world and their commitment to apply their experience for the greater good.

The individuals and organisations, whose biographies are listed on this page, embrace expertise from both western academies (including the fields of science, conservation, animal welfare, human and non-human rights, philosophy and ethics, advocacy, economics, community leadership, creative writing, journalism, the media, social justice and the law) and the indigenous paradigm.

The motivation for the “Take the Elephant Out of the Room” conference in August 2019 was to unite like-minded individuals and to focus their expertise on African elephants held in captivity.

The natural progression from this successful conference was the formation of a formal network. The network, they agreed, would be used to publicly highlight concerns arising from African elephants in captivity and developing strategies and support in order to free these elephants. The network was named the Free Elephant Network.

Membership of the Free Elephant Network has broadened to include experts and specialists from around the world. The original focus has shifted to include the welfare of Asian Elephants in captivity and a decision was taken to rename the network and thus the network became known as the Pro Elephant Network.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world” Mahatma Gandhi

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PRO ELEPHANT NETWORK

MICHELE PICKOVER

Biography

The founding member of PREN, Michele Pickover, received a B.A. Honours degree in History from the University of KwaZulu Natal, a Masters Degree in Environmental Sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Diploma in Archival Science from the University of South Africa.

Michele Pickover is the author of Animal Rights in South Africa, a pioneering book published in 2005 and nominated for the 2006 Alan Paton Award for Non-Fiction.

Michele Pickover has campaigned on behalf of animals for inclusive justice for the past twenty years. Much of her contribution to the environment has been made through lobbying, research and investigative work as well national and international networking and liaison. Michele Pickover played a key role in the successful lobbying for the suspension of the “culling” of elephants in the Kruger National Park.

Michele Pickover is the Executive Director of the EMS Foundation, which works towards the advancement and protection of the rights and general welfare of, children, elderly persons, wild animals and other vulnerable groups in South Africa and Africa, for the purpose of alleviating suffering, disrupting inequality in all of its forms, raising public awareness, empowering and providing dignity.

Michele Pickover is the co-author of a report called the “Extinction Business”. The report details the captive bred big cat industry in South Africa and the legal lion bone trade between South Africa and China. A direct result of the publication of this report was a two day colloquium held in the Parliament of South Africa in 2018. The Parliamentary Committee recommended that this industry be shut down.

The second part of the report is called “Breaking Point” and this is due to be released and published in May 2020. This report summarises a four year investigation carried out in China and in South Africa by Michele Pickover and Dr Smaragda Louw.

“Breaking Point” highlights the annual legal live trade of thousands of wild animals from South Africa to China. The CITES regulatory trade processes are microscopically examined and the conclusions are unsatisfactory. CITES is the organisation that has rubber-stamped the export of many African wild elephants to zoos around the world confining them to a life-time of inhumane captivity.

STEFANIA FALCON

Biography

Stefania Falcon was born in Italy, she studied at the Universita’ La Sapienza in Rome, where she was granted a BSc degree in History and Sociology.

Stefania Falcon is the co-founder and co-director of Future 4 Wildlife, a non-profit organisation that operates in Africa and in Europe and Director of the Green Group Simonstown. She has passion for Sociological Animal Studies and advocates through this organisation for InterSpecies, InterCultural, InterGenerational Equity.

Stefania Falcon’s experience and her intimate knowledge of the mechanisms of the South African Parliament is crucially important to the current and future strategies regarding the dismantling of the Lion Bone Trade, The Big Cat Captive Industry and with examining the shortfalls of Elephant Management in South Africa.

Stefania Falcon is passionate about protecting the environment, she spends all her free time immersed in nature where she is a competitive regatta sailor, a scuba diver and a hang- gliding pilot.

DR ROSS HARVEY

Biography

Dr Ross Harvey grew up across southern Africa and developed a dual interest in mining and wildlife governance. He studied a B.Com degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where he then completed an M.Phil in Public Policy. He was awarded his PhD in Economics, also at UCT, in 2019.

His thesis explained institutional divergence between Nigeria and Angola, Africa’s two biggest oil producers. From 2010 to 2011, he lectured in political economy at UCT. The following year he worked as a parliamentary researcher.

In mid-2013, he became a senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, where he worked until 2019. His initial work examined labour relations in the mining space in the aftermath of Marikana. He worked on a range of mining and wildlife governance projects thereafter and published a number of academic papers and research reports.

From May 2019 to April 2020, Ross operated as an independent consultant in the wildlife governance space. On 1 May 2020 he became a director of research and programmes at Good Governance Africa and is a senior research associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for the Future of Knowledge.

ANTOINETTE VAN DE WATER

Biography

Antoinette van de Water has an Masters Degree in Biology from the Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (2017) with MA dissertations on human-Elephant conflicts in western Thailand (socio-economic drivers and potential mitigation strategies), and the effectiveness of beehive fences as an elephant deterrence measure in eastern Thailand.

Antoinette van de Water is the founder and director of Bring the Elephant Home a non- profit organisation working towards a world in which people and Elephants can live in harmony and benefit from each other’s existence. BTEH conversation projects are deeply rooted in local communities. She believe that the people living near Elephants are most effected by their presence.

BTEH work is characterised by three guidelines: local involvement, a healthy ecology and benefits for both human and Elephants.

Antoinette van de Water coordinates community-based Elephant conservation projects in South-East Asia.

In 2018, Antoinette van de Water started her position as a PhD researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the social dimensions of human-Elephant co-existence in Africa, in collaboration with Elephants Alive and the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group.

JIM KARANI

Biography

Jim Karani received his Bachelor of Law (LL.B) Environment and Natural Resources Law degree from the University of Nairobi. He has CFSA Certification, he is a Certified Financial Services Auditor. He received a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law and he is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

Jim Karani was the first recipient of the International Advocates Animal Law LLM Scholarship. Upon graduating, Jim returned to Wildlife Direct, a nonprofit organisation that is working to save Kenya’s Elephant population. Jim Karani focuses on strengthening the response to wildlife crime, he is the head of their legal team.

As part of his studies, Jim Karani worked on developing an animal law workshop for Kenyan law students, lawyers, and judges. Jim Karani plans to use his degree and experience to further wildlife conservation efforts through law and policy development, and to contribute to the growth of animal law throughout Kenya.

“The Center for Animal Law Studies offers the world’s first and only advanced legal degree in animal law. There is no other institution in the world you can obtain this focused, high quality scholarly study. And, of all the amazing experiences I have gone through while here, the 2015 Animal Law Conference tops them all. The knowledge amassed over the conference and the broad networking opportunities presented were invaluable.”

KAHINDI LEKALHAILE

Biography

Kahindi Lekalhaile is the Chief Operations Director at Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW). He oversees the quality control of the key functions at ANAW Headquarters which includes program development, human and financial resources management, public relations, partnerships and advocacy.

Kahindi Lekalhaile is a Wildlife Conservationist, his expertise and experience gained at middle and senior management levels at various corporate organizations.

His career spans nearly thirty years working as a field naturalist, environmental education expert, trainer in wildlife social work, field wildlife research scientist, eco-tourism expert, university lecturer, community-based wildlife conservation expert.

Kahindi Lekalhaile is a seasoned member of Nature Kenya, he is a current member of the National Birds Management Taskforce, birds scientific sub-committee of Nature Kenya, and the Kenya Bureau of Standards Ecotourism Committee.

Kahindi Lekalhaile has highlighted the poaching crisis in Kenya, the illegal ivory trade and more recent donkey hide trade.

BRETT MITCHELL

Biography

Brett Mitchell is an elephant expert specialising in captive Elephants in both the handling of and training of Elephants. Brett Mitchell is also an expert in the reintegration of captive elephants into a wild system.

Brett Mitchell has been working with Elephants for the past twenty years. He has developed a successful re-integration model for captive elephants. He has achieved enormous success with the re-integration of seventeen captive elephants back into the wild.

Brett Mitchell managed and operated a business in the safari industry which catered for elephant back safaris.

He is the Chairman of the Elephant Reintegration Trust which was founded in 2016.

Brett Mitchell has recently served on a consultative panel for the South African Tourism advisory body. SATSA required the necessary expertise in order to develop guidelines and a tool for tourists so that they can be guided to support captive animal facilities that are ethical and legitimate and to avoid captive wild animal facilities that offer the commercialisation of human-wildlife contact. The motivation for the compilation of these guidelines is because many tourism businesses are feeling the global impact of the amplifying call to end animal interactions and to ensure South Africa’s position as an ethical tourism destination.

LENIN CHISAIRA

Biography

Lenin Tinashe Chisaira is a Zimbabwean wildlife activist. He completed his Bachelor of Law (LLB) Hons at the University of Zimbabwe where he was also the vice president of the Student Union. Lenin Chisaira completed his LLM (Economic Regulation) at the University of London on a Canon Collins Scholarship. He has worked with social justice groups such as ZIMCODD, Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association and the Southern Africa Campaign to Dismantal Corporate Power.

Lenin Chisaira is the founder of the Progressive Centre for Economic and Environmental Justice in Africa (AfroProJustice), a volunteer organisation registered as a Trust in Zimbabwe. Lenin Chisaira is the Founder and Director of Advocates4Earth, a non-profit environmental law, climate and wildlife justice organisation based in Zimbabwe.

This organisation has initiated public interest especially with regard to the capture of wild baby Elephants from Hwange Game Reserve for export to zoos around the world. Lenin Chisaira’s organisation was represented at CITES CoP18 in Geneva and at the SADC Peoples Summit held in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

LYNNE JAMES

Biography

Lynne James was born on the Isle of Man, grew up in Luanshya in Zambia and went to school in Zimbabwe and Scotland.

Lynne James received a BSc in nursing from the University of Cape Town. Lynne James lives on a farm in the Odzi District, west of Mutare in Zimbabwe. Lynne James was the Chair of the Mutare SPCA in Zimbabwe and has been a volunteer there for the past nine years.

The Mutare SPCA is an animal protection charity, desperate to uphold the laws of our society in terms of animal cruelty and welfare. Based on the UK RSPCA model, but modified for local Central African conditions, Mutare SPCA was established in the mid 1900’s.

Zimbabwe is a nation in crisis, and in such a crisis, animal welfare often becomes a casualty at the same time as its very incidence is exponentially on the increase. Lynne James has soldiered on in these desperate times. where they are struggling to cover their basic costs.

Lynne James has also been actively involved in trying to stop the capture of Zimbabwe Elephants for export to zoos abroad since 2015.

DR MARION GARAI

Biography

Dr Marion Garai studied Zoology with a specialisation in Ethology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Dr Garai obtained a MSc Diploma in the Social Behaviour of Elephants in captivity. In 1998 Dr Garai received her PhD with specialisation in Zoology on “The Development of Social and Stress Related Behaviours of Translocated Juvenile Elephants” from the University of Pretoria which included four and half years of field work.

Dr Garai is a member of the IUCN/SCC African elephant Specialist Group since 1994; she was an Elephant coordinator for the Rhino and Elephant Foundation, during 1996; she was the Acting Chairperson of the Rhino, Elephant and Wildlife Foundation during 2000.

Dr Garai was the Vice Chair of the “Committee for the Training and Welfare of Elephants” and Chair of the Welfare subgroup, which compiled guidelines.

Founder of the Translocated Elephant Information Centre (TEIC) in 1992, which was incorporated into the Elephant Management & Owners Association in 1994. Chairperson of EMOA from 1994 until 2006. EMO comprised of over 70% Elephant owners and managers in South Africa, including official bodies such as the provincial Nature Conservation authorities and National Parks Board. EMOA was instrumental in drawing up the National Norms and Standards .

Dr Garai, a trustee of Space for Elephants Foundation since 2000 and Chairperson of SEF from 2006-2015. Space for Elephants Foundation endeavours to establish Wildlife corridors and integrate the communities that live around these.

Dr Garai, is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Elephant Group in Germany. Dr Garai is the co-founder and chairperson of the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group in South Africa since 2012.

Dr Garai is a Trustee of the Elephant Reintegration Trust (ERT) since 2016

PROFESSOR DAVID BILCHITZ

Biography

David Bilchitz is a Professor of Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Law at the University of Johannesburg. He is the Director of the South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public, Human Rights and International Law (SAIFAC). Professor David Bilchitz was the Secretary-General of the International Association of Constitutional Law from June 2014 until 2018.

Professor David Bilchitz has a BA (Hons) LLB cum laude from Wits University. He graduated with an MPhil in Philosophy from St John’s College, University of Cambridge in 2001 and with a PhD in law from the same university in 2004. He has worked as law clerk to Deputy Judge-President (then) Langa of the South African Constitutional Court in 2000.

Professor David Billchitz’s book ‘Poverty and Fundamental Rights: the Justification and Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights’ was published by Oxford University Press in February 2007. He also has two co-edited books, one of which – titled ‘Human Rights Obligations for Business: Beyond the Corporate Responsibility to Respect?’ – was published by Cambridge University Press and launched at the United Nations library. As at 31 December 2014, he has published ten book chapters, and over 30 journal articles. He is also on the editorial boards of several prestigious journals.

Professor David Bilchitz’s academic work focuses on the critical role that law plays in protecting the vulnerable within constitutional democracies: his focus is on the field of fundamental rights and, in particular, the content of socio-economic rights, the obligations of business in relation to fundamental rights, the tension between religious freedom and equality, and the rights of animals.

CHIEF STEPHEN FRITZ

Biography

Chief Stephen Fritz is a Traditional Leader in South Africa. He an important member of the South Peninsula Khoi Council, of South Africa.

The Khoisan were the first people in Southern Africa. Their history is both fascinating and a sombre reminder of how direct and indirect actions can bring about the decline of an entire group of people.

Two thousand years, ago long before the first settlers arrived in South Africa, the Khoisan were present, they were skilled hunter-gatherers and nomadic farmers who lived off the land. Despite their early presence on the land, they are among the most persecuted people in South Africa, even after the fall of Apartheid they remain largely forgotten.

Many consider the Khoisan to have some of the most incredible knowledge and insights into wild animals and the environment that they inhabit.

The support and the participation of local communities is essential to the success of conservation efforts across Africa. The involvement of local communities in conservation projects is not only good for the environment it can also completely change the dynamics of their communities, giving voices to those who had none and building confidence and empowerment. The South African government will not take any proposal seriously without the endorsement of local communities.

DR SMARAGDA LOUW

Biography

Dr Smaragda Louw is the founder and director of the Ban Animal Trading organisation. BAT is an animal rights organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Their vision is to end animal exploitation through facilitating positive and meaningful change. BAT’s core belief is that change is incremental and created through awareness and education and legislative enactment.

Dr Smaragda Louw has a doctorate in Psychology. She received her PhD from Rand Afrikaans University and ran a successful practise for many years, working mainly with teenagers.

Dr Smaragda Louw has recently co-authored a report called the “Extinction Business”. The report was the result of an eighteenth month investigation of the captive bred big cat industry in South Africa and the lion bone trade between South Africa and China.

A direct result of the publication of this report was a two day colloquium held in the Parliament of South Africa in 2018.

MEGAN CARR

Conservation Biography

Megan Carr

In 2013 Megan Carr founded a self-funding think-tank called Rhinos in Africa. For the past nine years they have highlighted the rhino poaching crisis in South Africa by carrying out investigative research and compiling and publishing reports which have been submitted to the South African government and other authorities in South Africa and abroad.

In 2017 Megan Carr became intricately involved with a research project into a specific wildlife poaching sector in South Africa. She has been exposed to the associated harsh realities of the crisis which have resulted in numerous serious human rights concerns and wildlife casualties.

Megan Carr has commissioned the production of short videos which were launched on social media channels, these were used educate and raise awareness for the conservation of the species and the necessity of anti-poaching initiatives on the forefront of the rhino poaching war.

For five years from 2014 until 2019 volunteered for a US based grassroots, advocacy organisation, she organised protests marches and events in Stellenbosch, Cape Town, Zululand and Johannesburg. She volunteered her services as a core strategist and then assumed a role on the board of directors.

Megan Carr is a social media influencer with over a million followers and supporters across on various platforms, featuring most predominately on Change.org the topics include wildlife welfare, wildlife conservation, wildlife crime and human rights.

In 2019 Megan Carr began working as a senior researcher for the EMS Foundation and in 2021 was appointed as the Lead Coordinator of EMSF Towards Freedom the Programme. This programme has successfully negotiated the release of Charlie, the last remaining African elephant from the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria. The Towards Freedom Programme is currently involved with an application in the High Court of Gauteng for the release of three elephants from the Johannesburg Zoo.

Megan Carr is currently the administrator of the Pro Elephant Network

PROFESSOR DAN WYLIE

Biography

Professor Dan Wylie is a lecturer at Rhodes University, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. He has authored and co-authored several national and international publications on Shaka and on Zimbabwean literature, he is also a poet.

“Death and Compassion” The Elephant in Southern African Literature was written by Professor Dan Wylie and published by Wits University Press. It is the first study of literary genres pertaining to Elephants south of the Zambezi over three centuries. These include travelogues, hunting accounts, novels, game ranger memoirs, scientific literature and poetry.

http://danwyliecriticaldiaries.blogspot.com/2019/09/

DR MICHELLE HENLEY

Biography

Dr Michelle Henley is the co-founder, director and principal researcher of Elephants Alive. Elephants Alive is a non-profit organisation based in South Africa they are working towards achieving a better understanding of Elephants and their relationships with each other and their surroundings.

Dr Michelle Henley has been studying Elephants for more than twenty years.
Dr Michelle Henley received her PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand, the subject of her thesis Sex- and Age-related Feeding Distinctions of the African Elephant.

In 2003 Dr Michelle Henley co-founded the Transboundary Elephant Research Programme, together with Chair Marlene McCay, as the South African branch of Save the Elephants. This evolved into Elephants Alive.

Dr Michelle Henley has been monitoring Elephant movements and their social interactions within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, straddling South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe since 2003.

Dr Michelle Henley has published numerous articles in in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and popular publications and has contributed towards various books. She has also written and illustrated children’s books on Elephant conservation.

Dr Michelle Henley is a registered Post-doctoral Fellow at the Applied Behavioural Ecology and Environmental Research Unit of the University of South Africa and a Trustee of the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group of South Africa.

In 2009 she received her Post Graduate Certificate in Education (with distinction) in order to be better equipped to teach children about the environment. Dr Michelle Henley won The Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA)’s National Award for an Individual (2013), was finalist in the Tusk Conservation Leadership Awards (2016), runner up to the Mail and Guardian, Greening the Future Awards for both the Species and Biodiversity Stewardship categories (2016) and finalist in the Eco Angel Awards (2017).

Michelle was elected as one of 10 of the most inspiring women in South Africa by Culture Trip (2017) and was invited by the IUCN to serve as a member on the African Elephant Specialist Group (2017).

DR PAULA KAHUMBU

Biography

Dr Paula Kahumbu is a wildlife conservationist and the Chief Executive Officer of WildlifeDirect. She is best known as a campaigner for elephants and wildlife, spearheading the “Hands Off Our Elephants” campaign which was launched with the First Lady of Kenya Margaret Kenyatta.

Dr Paula Kahumbu studied Ecology and Biology at the University of Bristol. She received her Master’s degree in Wildlife and Range Science at the University of Florida, she wrote her Masters thesis on the monkeys of the Tana River Primate National Reserve.

Dr Paula Kahumbu worked for the Kenya Wildlife Service between undergraduate and graduate school, she was charged with counting and measuring ivory stockpiles in Kenya’s vaults for Richard Leakey’s burning of the tusks event. This event changed her focus from primates to elephants. Dr Paula Kahumbu completed her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University.

Dr Paula Kahumbu received a special commendation from the United Nations for her critical role in creating awareness and mobilising action around the crisis facing Elephants in Kenya, in 2015 she received title of Order of the Grand Warrior.

DR BRETT BARD

Biography

Dr Brett Bard is a holistic Veterinarian, an Agroecological farmer and poet. He has created Tortoiseback, a spectacular permaculture farm in a valley of the Great Swartberg in the Western Cape of South Africa.

His vocation as a veterinarian has taken him on a journey, exploring the meaning of compassion, embracing veganism and creating Tortoiseback.

Tortoiseback is a dynamic learning community dedicated to developing visitor’s capacities for regeneration through personal transformation, inspiring paradigm shifts towards more ethical living in harmony with non-human nature.

Dr Brett Bard believes the cycle of health begins with nurturing the soil, allowing plants o develop vitality thereby producing nutritious food to sustain animals and humans alike. The basic rule of health for all animals is to follow a diet true to species as nature intended.

Dr Brett Bard received his Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine from Onderstepoort, in Pretoria, South Africa.

AMY P WILSON

Biography

Amy P Wilson received a B.COM and LL.B Degrees from the University of Johannesburg. After working in the field of law for seven years, Amy P Wilson co-established the first Animal Law non-profit in South Africa in 2017.

In 2017 Amy P Wilson moved to the USA to undertake her Masters degree in Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School, where she has dedicated her time and skills to Animal Law and worked as a Research Assistant for Animal Law Studies, she also interned for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Upon graduation Amy P Wilson worked with World Animal Protection and Animal Equality organisations on a consultancy basis and with the Centre for Animal Law Studies. She is now the Aquatic Animal Law Initiative Fellow and assists with the Animal Law Clinic.

Amy P Wilson also volunteers with a number of organisations working on a broad spectrum of animal issues in South Africa, Africa and the USA. She has leadership roles within the Coalition of African Animal Welfare Organisations, the Humane Education Trust and with Lawyers for Animal Protection in Africa.

CYNTHIA MOSS

Biography

Cynthia Moss is an American Ethologist and conservationist, wildlife researcher and writer. Her studies have concentrated on the demography, behaviour, social organisation, and population dynamics of the African elephants of Amboseli. Cynthia Moss is the program director and trustee for the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.

Cynthia Moss attended Smith College and she earned her B.A. in philosophy. After working as a researcher for Newsweek for three years, she moved to Africa and became a research assistant for Iain Douglas-Hamilton in Tanzania.

Her first book Portraits in the Wild she describes their discovery that Elephants could be identified by their ears because no two Elephant ear shapes or combinations of markings and veins are the same.

Cynthia Moss worked in Nairobi, Kenya as a veterinary assistant and assisted in research on plains animals and elephant feed in Tsavo National Park and became the editor for the newsletter of the African Wildlife Foundation called Wildlife News.

In 1972 Cynthia Moss teamed up with Harvey Croze and they began the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, the last undisturbed Elephant herd in Africa.

It is because of her contribution that the African Elephant was placed on the Endangered species list in October 1989 and in January 1990 the sale of raw ivory was prohibited.

In 2001 she created the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Moss’s studies have given a remarkable insight into the way Elephants live. She has received many awards in recognition of her dedication to the study of Elephants in Amboseli.

SUPARNA BAKSI-GANGULY

Biography

Suparna Baksi-Ganguly is the co-founder, trustee and secretary of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), founded in 1991 in Bangalore. She is also President and Co-Founder of the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC) in Bangalore India founded in 1999.

Suparna Baksi-Ganguly is dedicated to raising awareness and galvanising advocacy for the rescue and rehabilitation of captive Elephants all over India. She has contributed to reports that meticulously document the plight of these majestic creatures.

Suparna Baksi-Ganguly serves on various committees for domestic animals and captive Elephant welfare in Karnataka State and was a member of the National Task Force for wild and captive Elephants in 2011.

She was awarded the prestigious Nari Shakti 2015 award by the Honorable President of India on International Women’s Day. Suparna Baksi-Ganguly was a finalist for the Name Bengaluru Award 2016 for the recognition of animal welfare, the first such recognition.

DR BETSY COVILLE

Biography

Dr Betsy Coville is an Animal Defenders International sanctuary founder, providing a place of loving kindness for rescued, abused ex-circus animals where they are treated with love and respect; provided with the best possible lifetime home. ADI has rescued forty-three lions and tigers from circuses in Peru, Colombia and Guatemala.

ADI works to end the suffering of animals in captivity and protect wild animals and their environments. For over twenty years ADI have rescued hundreds of animals from circuses all over the world and relocated them to sanctuaries.

Dr Betsy Coville is a Wildlife Veterinary Surgeon she has her Masters degree in Veterinary Forensic Sciences. She works in Lutz in Florida in the USA. Alternative Animal Care. Lifetime member of the College of Veterinary Medicine Dean’s Circle of Excellence.

Dr Betsy Coville was intimately involved with the complicated rescue process of seventeen lions and tigers from Guatemala to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa.

Dr Betsy Coville travelled to Myanmar in November 2019 where she worked with the Green Hill Valley Staff and mahouts on all sorts of Elephant healthcare and enrichment projects. She specifically worked on pain management technology and designed and made a variety of puzzle feeders. Everything Elephants is a unique volunteer adventure blending philanthropic travel and a legacy of compassionate elephant care. The beneficiaries are the Elephants, Elephant Care International and Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp.

DR JESSICA BELL RIZZOLO

Biography

Dr Jessica Bell Rizzolo is a Dual Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy, with specialisations in Animal Studies and Conservation Criminology. Her research interest include the illegal wildlife trade, wildlife tourism, discursive representations of animals, and the intersection of animal welfare and conservation.

Her current research uses qualitative and and quantitive data to examine the links between wildlife commodification (wildlife farming and wildlife tourism), legal context, and wildlife consumption.

Dr Jessica Bell Rizzolo has a M.A. degree in Psychology from Northwestern University and training in trans-species psychology, which she applies in her capacity as director of the Asian Elephant Program at the Kerulos Centre.

Dr Jessica Bell Rizzolo’s work has appeared in Society & Animals, Crime, Law and Social Change, and numbers edited books. She received a UCLA Animal Law and Policy Grant in 2019 for her work on the wildlife trade, and she has presented at numerous international conferences, including the Conservation Geopolitics Forum at Oxford University, Conseration Asia, The Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies, and the International Conference on Asian Elephants in Culture and Nature.

Dr Jessica Bell Rizzolo is Postdoctoral Researcher, the Conservation Criminology Lab, Department Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University

MICHELE FRANKO

Biography

Michele Franko is Senior Research Associate of Elephant Care and Wellbeing at the Kerulos Centre for Non-Violence United States of America.

Michele Franko has more than thirty years of experience in animal care, shelters and welfare including humane law enforcement involving circus and rodeo inspections, thoroughbred horse racing and sport horse breeding farms, veterinary assistance, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

Michele Franko’s diverse roles as criminal investigator, rescuer, caregiver, writer and advocate working with multiple species have catalysed her depth of understanding, research and teaching about animal sentience, trauma recovery and healing.

Michele Franko has served with an international stellar group of Elephant champions and she focus her efforts in the Unchaining the Gods an Indian elephant Project in partner and collaboration in 2016.

NOMUSA DUBE

Biography

The Zimbabwe Elephant Foundation is a non-profit organisation that advocates for a stronger future in the co-existence of people and wildlife in Zimbabwe.

ZEF was founded by Nomusa Dube in 2019. The motivation for the necessity for the formation of this organisation was due to the continued, forced capture of baby Elephants from the wilds of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe by the Zimbabwean authorities.

The Elephant removal from their family herds and their training in isolation for months whilst preparing them for export to zoos in China and other foreign destinations is the subject matter of PREN’s first projects in September 2019.

Nomusa Dube written articles and has used social media platforms and the main stream media to highlight these atrocities. She has spoken in public in London, in the United Kingdom about this issue. Nomusa Dube has successfully captured the world’s attention with regard to the legal export of baby Elephants from the wild in Africa to zoos around the world. Politicians and celebrities have joined this campaign as a result of the work carried out by wildlife activists.

JOHANNA HAMBURGER

Biography

Johanna Hamburger is a Wildlife Attorney and works with the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington. Since 1951 the American Animal Welfare Institute has been alleviating suffering inflicted on animals by humans. In the early years, AWI founder Christine Stevens sought to end the cruel treatment of animals in experimental laboratories.

The AWI’s mission is to alleviate suffering of nonhumans animals, the principle followed by AWI of compassion and nonviolence applies to human animals as well as nonhuman animals. The Animal Welfare Institute condemns violence directed against all living creatures. There are no exceptions.

Johanna Hamburger attended the University of Colorado, the class of 2012 where she received her degree in Law, her special interest areas of the Law included Animal Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources and Energy and Water Law.

VARDA MEHROTRA

Biography

Varda Mehrotra was the executive director of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations. FIAPO is India’s apex animal rights organisation. As the collective voice of the animal rights movement in India, FIAPO is the catalyst that protects the rights and interests of animals at local and national levels. FIAPO is India’s only federation with more than one hundred and twenty members and two hundred supporter organisations.

The vision of FIAPO is the recognition and respect for animals rights in society. To connect and empower animal protectors to achieve animal rights by advocacy, networking and capacity building; to create a high-impact, well-connected movement at all levels which will continually address ongoing animal issues.

FIAPO shares the value that large and small organisations have the same say, they are independent so that members and the Federation can choose their area of work. They are the centres of knowledge to help problem solve and create strategies. They are inclusive, so all thoughts and tactics for animal protection are represented and tolerated.

FIAPO would like to end the exploitative nature of human-animal relationships, end the use of working animals, animals in entertainment and animal sacrifice.

VASANTHI VADI

Biography

Vasanthi Vada is a founder member of the Blue Cross of Hyderabad and People for Animals. She is also a Trustee of FIAPO. Vasanthi Vada started Hyderabad’s first animal protection group called Abhaya in 1989.

FIAPO is India’s apex animal rights organisation. As the collective voice of the animal rights movement in India, FIAPO is the catalyst that protects the rights and interests of animals at local and national levels. FIAPO is India’s only federation with more than one hundred and twenty members and two hundred supporter organisations.

ALOK HISSARWALA GUPTA

Biography

Alok Hisarwala Gupta is a Human Rights lawyer with a background in LGBT rights and other civil liberty issues. He has worked on several Human Rights Documentation Reports with the Indian Centre for Human Rights and Law, Lawyers Collective, Alternative Law Forum, People’s for Civil Liberties and Human Rights Watch.

Alok Hisarwala Gupta is currently working on a project with the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations FIAPO and All Creatures Great and Small ACGS documenting cases of animal cruelty across India.

PROFESSOR MOHAN KHAREL

Professor Mohan Kharel was born inTaplejung, Sinam. His field of interest Human Genetics, Human Evolution and Human Unity.

He received his M.Sc. UPLB, Philippines, his Ph.D. Thesis Measurement of Goat Genetic Distances through Biochemical as well as a Biometrical approach.

He is a professor at the Central Department of Biotechnology, University of the Philippines, Los Bano, The Philippines. He was an Associate professor at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.

DR JAN SCHMIDT-BURBACH

Biography

Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach is a qualified Veterinarian, with experience in wildlife medicine, bear baiting in Pakistan and a leading researcher on wildlife entertainment and the micro-chipping of bears in Asia Pacific.

Dr Schmidt-Burbach is based in Thailand. He has worked as Global Wildlife and Veterinary Advisor for World Animal Protection for over ten years. He conducted his PhD research on Asian Elephants and specialised on animal welfare and wildlife trade concerns.

Dr Schmidt-Burbach has led the filed of study on the welfare conditions of wild animals used in entertainment in Asia. He is head of Wildlife Research and Animal Welfare at World Animal Protection International.

DJ SCHUBERT

Biography

DJ Schubert currently works at the Animal Welfare Institute. AWI is a non-profit charitable organisation founded in 1951 to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. He has worked in the protection of wildlife for the majority of his career. He strives to obtain, review and use the best available scientific evidence when providing input to federal and state agencies on proposals that impact wildlife and their habitats.

DJ Schubert’s interests are diverse and include international wildlife trade, cetaceans, ungulate management, predators, ecosystem services, ecological economics, climate change, human-wildlife conflict, compassionate conservation, fertitily control and humane wildlife management.

IRIS HO

Biography

Iris Ho is the Head of Policy for the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. Iris Ho received her Bachelor of Arts, Oriental Languages and Cultures degree from the National Chengchi University and a Master of Arts degree from The George Washington University.

Iris Ho has acquired extensive skills in animal welfare, wildlife conservation, human rights, public policy, issue campaigning and advocacy, international policy, communications and coalition and partnership building. Iris Ho has accumulated twenty years of experience working with governments, multilateral organisations, academic and philanthropic sectors.

DR HARVEY CROZE

Biography

Dr Harvey Croze is a collaborating researcher for the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. An environmentalist, Darwinist, Ecologist and a Behaviourist.

Dr Harvey Croze has four decades of experience in African ecosystems. He began his study of Evolutionary Biology at Amherst College, obtained a doctorate on Animal Behaviour at Oxford University.

Dr Harvey Croze worked for Tanzanian National Parks as an Elephant Ecologist in the Serengeti in the late 1960’s where he studied the interaction between Elephants and the woodlands.

Dr Harvey Croze and Cynthia Moss established the Amboseli Research Project in 1972. From 1972 until 1976 he lectured in the Zoology Department of the University of Nairobi and supervised MSc and PhD students in a graduate Biology of Conservation programme. In the mid-70’s he was the Ecologist on the UNEP/FAO/GoK Kenya Willife Management Project that devised a wildlife utilisation fund for the Kajiado District to offset landowner opportunity costs.

Dr Havery Croze last official post was Assistant Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme, with the responsibility for global environmental monitoring and assessment.

He has written numerous papers, reports and books including The Amboseli Elephants: A Long Term Study of a Long-live Mammal (Chi. Univ. Press) with he co-edited with Cynthia Moss and Phyllis Lee, the 2011 compendium of Amboseli Elephant research.

DR MARK JONES

Biography

The Born Free Foundation works tirelessly to ensure that all wild animals, whether living in captivity or in the wild, are treated with compassion and respect and are able to live their lives according to their needs.

They are a leading wildlife charity who opposes the exploitation of wild animals in captivity and they campaign to keep them where they belong, in the wild. The Born Free Foundation seeks to have a positive impact on animals in the wild and to protect their ecosystem in perpetuity for their own intrinsic value and for the critical roles they play within the natural world.

Dr Mark Jones is an associate Director and the head of policy at the Born Free Foundation. Prior to this position he was the UK Executive Director of the Humane Society, Programmes and Fundraising Director for Care for the Wild International and Animal Welfare Director for Animals in Asia Foundation.

Dr Mark Jones studied Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool, Aquatic Health at the University of Stirling and Wild Animal Health at the Institute of Zoology in London.

Dr Mark Jones trained as a vet at Liverpool University and worked for many years in fish health and disease control, before spending five years travelling extensively and working on rescue and rehabilitation projects for primates, bears, birds and reptiles in South America and Asia. He has a Masters degrees in aquatic and wild animal health, and several years’ experience in the non-government animal protection sector covering international wildlife trade, wildlife management and animal welfare issues.

PENNY BANHAM

Biography

Penny Banham is the Conservation Project Officer at the Born Free Foundation in the United Kingdom.

Penny Banham recently completed her MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford. Penny Banham received her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Animal Biology with Honours.

Penny Banham works as an Elephant researcher with the Southern Tanzanian Elephant Program. She collaborates with STEP on a study exploring the home ranges of Elephants in Ruaha National Park.

As part of her role as Conservation Projects Officer at the Born Free Foundation, Penny Banham analyses human-wildlife data using GIS.

SHARON PINCOTT

Biography

Sharon Pincott is an Australian author and specialist in the field of African elephant behaviour. She has studied the social structure and population dynamics of a single clan of wild Elephants extensively and is an advocate for ending the ivory trade and promoting conservation.

Sharon Pincott originally worked in the field of Information Technology and became the National Director of IT for Ernst and Young Australia and was based in Sydney.

Sharon Pincott worked alone, on a full-time voluntary basis for thirteen years with the clan of wild, free-roaming Elephants known as the Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe on land bordering the Main Camp entrance to Hwange National Park.

She was appointed as the Ambassador for Elephants by the South African Getaway Magazine in recognition of her courageous work with wildlife in Hwange. Sharon Pincott came to the attention of the Natural History Unit Africa and she became the subject of the documentary titled All the President’s Elephants.

Sharon Pincott returned to Australia in 2014 and she become a voice in opposition to the forced removal of baby Elephants from Hwange for export out of Zimbabwe into captivity in zoos around the world.

Sharon Pincott’s conservation work has been profiled in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife and Africa Geographic. She has published three books: The Elephants and I (Jacana Media, South Africa 2009), Battle for the Presiden’s Elephants (Jacana Media, South Africa 2012) and Elephant Dawn (first published by Allen & Unwin, Australia 2016 and then by Jacana Media, South Africa 2016).

DR WINNIE KIIRU

Biography

Dr Winnie Kiiru received her Ph.D in Biodiversity Management, with focus on human-Elephant conflict, from the University of Kent, in the United Kingdom.

Dr Winnie Kiiru is the founder of Conservation Kenya. She has developed a strategy for farmers which includes giving them sustainability skills and educates them about the importance of wildlife. She runs a human-Elephant conflict project near the Amboseli National Park.

Dr Winnie Kiiru is a well-known wildlife biologist who has been working to protect Kenya’s wildlife for the last twenty years. Dr Winnie Kiiru has worked with the Kenya Wildlife Service as a Trustee, she was the regional representative for the Born Free Foundation and a research associate for the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.

Dr Winne Kiiru is the Regional Technical Advisor for the Stop Ivory Organisation, their mission is to stop the wildlife crisis by inspiring all sectors of society to take responsibility and action to safeguard wildlife. They partner with government, civil society and communities, they identify critical issues and execute innovative solutions.

Born in central Kenya, Dr Kiiru has spent her life as a biologist, conservationist, advocate for human development and contributor to the Elephant Protection Initiative in Africa. She studied Botany and `Zoology in Kenya, Dr Kiiru received her Masters Degree from the University of Zimbabwe.

INGO SCHMIDINGER

Biography

Ingo Schmidinger is the co-founder of the Kalinga Animal Shelter and Fauna Research, where he has been active in the rescue, hand-rearing, rehabilitation and release of various wildlife species for the last fifteen years.

Ingo Schmidinger is a trained animal keeper (1500 species and more than 10 000 individual animals) and for the past twenty five years he has focused on the husbandry, care and training of all three species of Elephants using the Direct and Protected Contact management systems.

He conducts workshops and gives advice to zoos in Africa, Europe and Asia with regard to animal management, care-taker training, animal enrichment, facility design, Elephant foot care or their medical training with positive reinforcement methods, thus improving animal husbandry as his main focus. Apart from Elephant foot care, one of his main interests is the general implementation of non-ferrous hoof orthopaedics for horses.

Ingo Schmidinger is a member of iScapes (International Species Conservation and Animal Protection Expert Service) and a member of the European Elephant Group (EEG). With regard to the vast amount of Elephant welfare issues within zoological and other institutions, he tries to improve the livelihood of Elephants wherever possible. Ingo Schmidinger advocates for the transition from DC to PC systems in as many zoological institutions as possible, with the knowledge that keeping wild animals in captivity is a concern.

Ingo Schmidiger was the Head of Elephant Management at Four Paws International’s Asian Elephant sanctuary and station in Myanmar called The Elephants Lake project.

NURIA MALDONADO

Biography

Nuria Maldonado was born in Valencia in Spain. She has a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Elche, in Alicante in Spain and she specialised in Ecology at the University of Helsinki in Finland.

Over the past ten years, Nuria Maldonado has put her heart and soul into wildlife conservation and animal protection, she believes that education is the key to the success of conservation.

Nuria Maldonado is co-founder of the Kalinga Animal Shelter and Fauna Research, she contributes to the rehabilitation and release of inured or orphaned wild animals.

Nuria Maldonado is a member of the EEG (European Elephant Group) and head of iScapes (International Species Conservation and Animal Protection Expert Service), she works as a consultant for several zoos worldwide, in an attempt to improve the animal welfare with a zoo-skeptical vision and a deep belief in that wild animals deserve to live naturally in freedom.

Nuria Maldonado is a member of the team called Pan African Programme of the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology. The cultured chimpanzee (PanAf) is a large-scale research project across the chimpanzee range which aims to better understand and model the socioecological and demographic drivers of chimpanzee diversity. A part of this project is an online platform called Chimp&See is based on a non-invasive method for studying chimps behaviour, demography and individual identification in the wild, by means of remote video camera traps, Nuria Maldonado is one of the Science Moderatiors on this project.

Nuria Maldonado is fascinated by chimpanzees but Elephants are a very important part of her life. She is a preliminary judge at the IEFF (International Elephant Film Festival), a consultant at Four Paws International, she is writing the Ecological Appraisal and Quality Standards Release Chapter of the Myanmar Elephant Sanctuary Project (Elephants Lake) and leading the moderation of the Elephants board of Chimp&See. She is also the writer of a Chimp&See a weekly blog about the biology, ethology and ecology of Elephants; “Elephant Tuesdays”.

LINDA MASUDZE

Biography

Linda Masudze is the programs lawyer Wildlife, Biodiversity and Nature at the Advocates 4 Earth Organisation. Wildlife and biodiversity are some of the significant silent victims of modern society and modern capitalism. Advocates 4 Earth Organisation believes that the Earth and her species are afforded the best legal and advocacy services.

Their main focus is on animals in captivity, trade in live wild animals and in wildlife specimens as well as the treatment of animals in festivals, transport and research facilities.

Linda Masudze studied at the University of Zimbabwe. She is a Enivro-Animal Lawyer and Human and Women’s Rights Activist.

SARAH JEFFERSON

Biography

Sarah Jefferson is the Captivity Programme Information Officer at the Born Free Foundation in the United Kingdom.

Sarah has 20 years of experience working in the animal welfare sector with a particular focus on wild animals in captivity.

She coordinates Born Free’s ‘Raise the Red Flag’ initiative, which encourages global travellers and concerned citizens to submit their eyewitness reports about wild animals in captivity.

She also manages Born Free’s comprehensive database recording the vital information received about captive wild animals around the world, which is used to raise awareness, conduct further investigation or support ongoing campaigns.

DAVID KABAMBO

Biography

Peace for Conservation is a non-governmental, not for profit organisation operating at both grassroots and national level in Tanzania. Founded by David Kabambo, PFC, aspires to conserve wildlife and wild places, improve community health and a healthy environment and alleviate poverty at grassroots level alongside solidly improved community livelihood opportunities for effective conservation in Tanzania.

David Kabambo acknowledges the fact that community engagement on the topic of conservation creates a positive dynamic opportunity for change. His organisation is determined to diplomatically change perceptions and achieve peace and equal sharing of the benefits of conserving the environment and wild animals.

His mission is to provide an improved visual awareness in the community for effective conservation, alongside solid improved livelihood opportunities. His vision is to enhance community livelihood through inspiration and innovation towards conservation awareness for ecosystem management.

DAVID EBERT

Biography

David Ebert, is a retired lawyer, the founder of the Weeping Elephant Project a 501c3 nonprofit is devoted to curtailing the use of elephants in circuses and other attractions in the United States of America.

David Ebert was the co founder and board member of the Animal Defence Partnership, he co founded the organisation in 2016 as a means to devote himself more fully to defending animals and reduce suffering.

HEIKE HENDERSON-ALTENSTEIN Future for Elephants e.V.

Biography

Heike Henderson-Altenstein is co-founder and Member of the Board of the German based charity Future for Elephants e.V. (FFE).

FFE is the only German NGO campaigning for African and Asian elephants. Key objectives are German and European issues regarding elephants as well as fundraising for selected conservation and elephant welfare projects on the ground in Africa and Asia. Topics include the ongoing ivory trade, trophy hunting/imports, elephants in captivity and elephants in tourism.

Henderson-Altenstein holds a masters degree of business administration of the University of Hamburg and has a significant experience in Marketing. Besides networking with decision makers and conservation experts on various levels, organizing meetings, screenings and marches and fundraising she is having a profound outreach on social media. She regularly visits conservation projects in Africa, and maintains a close relationship with conservationists working on the ground.

BRIGITTE UTTAR KORNETZKY Elefanten in Not

Biography

Brigitte Kornetzky is a German-Swiss Indie filmmaker. She has directed the documentaries God No Say So, Where the Elephants Sleep and Imagine the Sky. Apart from being an independent filmmaker, Kornetzky is also an artist, musician, journalist and writer.

Kornetzky is the founder and president of the Swiss charity organisation Elefanten in Not, as well as Swiss Ambassador for Captive Elephants at the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation in India.

Kornetzky has dedicated her life to protect elephants in captivity from torture and injuries. Through her organisation, she conducts several elephant awareness programs and mahout training programs.

DR NURZHAFARINA BINTI OTHMAN Danau Girang Field Centre

Biography

Dr Farnia Othman is an Elephant Conservation Officer and a Research Fellow at Danau Girang Field Centre. Dr Othman has worked with the captive Bornean elephants studying their morphology during her final year as a student of Conservation Biology at the University of Malaysia Sabah in Malaysia. Dr Othman was trained in molecular genetics during a Darwin Initiative project on Conservation Genetics of the Bornean elephant in Sabah.

In 2010 Dr Othman started her part-time PhD studies at Cardiff University while working at DGFC as co-ordinator for elephant programs. She completed her PhD in 2017. Having had the chance to observe and follow elephant herds in the Lower Kinabatangan area, she witnessed how hard it is for the elephants to survive in a human dominated landscape. In many instances, she saw that people always misinterpret the elephants behaviour by exaggerating the situation. Dr Othman strongly believes that her role is to engage with members of her community with projects that will help alleviate human-elephant conflict.

Her successful work for DGFC has allowed for the increased protection level for the Bornean elephants.

DR TONI FROHOFF Terramar Research

Biography

Dr Toni Frohoff is an ethologist and behavioural biologist who has specialised in cetaceans and more recently also in elephants. She has distinctive expertise in studying and addressing the psychological wellbeing of cetaceans in captivity and in the wild. Toni is the founder and Research Director for Terramar Research, recognized for advancing interspecies science and advocacy for animals and nature, in particular cetaceans and elephants.

Terramar’s mission, to advance interspecies science and advocacy for the benefit of animals and nature, has been largely driven by Toni’s groundbreaking work. Having formalised the concept of Interspecies collaborative research (Frohoff and Marion) her work promotes respect for the agency and wellbeing of the animals she studies and learns from.

She worked as the Science and Campaign Director for elephants and cetaceans with In Defense of Animals for four years. Toni continues to consult for a variety of private, government, and nonprofit organizations where her work has contributed to the revision and implementation of management and legislation protecting animals in captivity and in the wild in more than a dozen countries.

Toni expanded her focus to highlight elephants due to their similarities in life-history traits as keystone species in the wild as well as their similar iconic status and plight in captivity what she has termed, “Blackfish Behind Bars”. Her formal work with elephants began in 2006 with a trip to East Africa where she documented various human-elephant relationships and contributed to research conducted by Iain Douglas Hamilton regarding emotions in elephant. Since then she has collaborated with notable elephant researchers, conservationists and captivity-welfare specialists and advised and working with organisations and agencies towards their protection.

OWAIS AWAN

Biography

The litigation brought by Owais Awan in the High Court of Islamabad in Pakistan led to the release of Kaavan a solitary elephant resident in the Marghazar zoo in November 2020.

Owais Awan graduated from Cardiff University in 2010 with a degree in Law and Politics, he is a registered Advocate of the High Court of Islamabad.

Owais Awan is currently litigating on behalf of the four elephants in the Sindh High Court for an independent medical assessment of the four African elephants Sonu, Malika, Noor Jehan and Madhubala in the Karachi Zoo and Safari Park.

Owais Awan is assisting a senior Supreme Court Advocate in the matter concerning the importation of elephants to Pakistan.

JANEY CLEGG

Biography

Mutare SPCA is the main provider of animal welfare in the Eastern Province of Zimbabwe, home to approximately one and half million people. Animal welfare is on-going work in every community and the benefits to animals that are rescued are obvious. Janey Clegg is a committee member of Mutare SPCA, they have played a significant role in the past with regard to the elephant captures in Hwange National Park.

Mutare SPCA faces constant threats of closure due to the ongoing economic crises in Zimbabwe. Their local donors are exhausted, this at a time when the need for animal welfare and education is at a peak.

The eight volunteers spend most of their available time fund raising yet the Mutare SPCA struggles to meet their most basic needs.

DANIELA FREYER

Biography

Daniela Freyer is the Co-Founder of Pro Wildlife, an organisation that seeks to improve international legislation protecting wildlife. Pro Wildlife is an independent charity, dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and their habitat.

Pro Wildlife e.V. is a prominent wildlife activist organisation that is located Bayern in Germany. Well known for their investigative reports such as the one that identified gaps in the E.U. and international law that let wildlife traffickers escape legal consequences once they have removed protected species from their countries of original. The authors of this report show how the reptile traffickers undermine the conservation efforts of often under-resourced countries, and they describe how legal changes could improve this status quo.

Pro Wildlife has released Reports about the horrendous situation in Nepal with regard to the captive elephants.

Pro Wildlife has released Reports about elephant tourism in Africa and Asia which have highlighted the plight of elephants in captivity. They have also highlighted the cruel aspects of capturing of wild elephants and the training of these wild elephants to be utilised in the elephant tourism business.

SANGITA LYER

Biography

Sangita Lyer is the Executive Director of the Voice for Asian Elephants Society.

A broadcast journalist, a writer, a biologist and wildlife filmmaker. Her multiple award-winning documentary film, Gods in Shackles was featured at the International Film Festival of India and nominated at the UN General Assembly, Sangita Lyer is the Executive Producer and Director.

Her series Asian Elephants 101 was aired on multiple NatGeo channels in 2021. She was a contributing writer for the Huffington Post writing articles on climate change, wildlife and the Environment.

Sangita Lyer has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Education and Communication. Bachelor of Science B.Sc. Degree in Biology/Biological Sciences. Post Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism.

IAN REDMOND

Biography

Ian Redmond is a tropical field biologist and conservationist. Renowned for his work with mountain gorillas and elephants Ian Remond has been involved with more than fifty documentaries on the subject for among others, the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. Ian Remond was also involved in the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist.

Ian Redmond attended Keele University studying Biology and Psychology, he was appointed OBE in 2006 and in 2011 he awarded an honorary degree from Oxford Brookes University for his conservation work.

Ian Redmond is the chairman of Ape Alliance, the Gorillas Organisation, an Ambassador for CMS which is an environmental treaty of the United Nations providing a global platform for the conservation of migratory animals and their habitats. He is also an Ambassador for the Virtual Ecotourism Project which uses interactive on-line tours to connect the general public with iconservation projects and local communities and culturally sensitive areas worldwide.

LIZ TYSON

Biography

Dr Liz Tyson is a Programs Director at Born Free USA, prior to that she was a Director at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary.

Liz Tyson was a freelance consultant with vast experience working in the animal protection and conservation not-for-profits, she specialised in animal protection, animal law, conservation, campaigning, advocacy, lobbying, research, copywriting, media relations, lectures and presentations.

A Doctor of Philosophy with a PhD in Animal Welfare Law from the University of Exxes, Bachelor of Laws (hons) law and Environmental Policy, Liz Tyson also studied communication and media studies, digital editing, English Literature and Sociology.

BHARATI RAMACHANDRAN

Biography

Bharati Ramachandran is the Chief Executive Officer of FIAPO. The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations.

Bharati Ramachandran studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, she obtained her Masters Degree in English at the Jadavpur University.

Prior to being CEO at FIAPO Bharati Ramachandran was the Director of the Outreach programs. FIAPO is India’s leading animal protection body. As a collective voice for the animal protection community in India FIAPO unites all animal protection organisations worldwide to exchange ideas, build expertise and strengthen the country’s animal protection movement. FIAPO works with over 170 member organisations and over 1000 animal activists.

BOB JACOBS

Biography

Professor Bob Jacobs, Professor of Neuroscience of Colorado College, the Elephant brain was the first non-human animal brain that Professor Bob Jacobs extensively examined in his laboratory. Professor Jacobs received his Ph.D in Applied Linguistics at UCLA. He became a member of the Colorado College Psychology department in 1993 and developed the neuroscience major in Colorado’s College’s Psychology Department in 1996. His research interest include language acquisition, non-human animal communication, cognitive neuropathology, comparative neuroanatomy, and animal welfare.

Professor Jacobs has made significant advances in the fields of neuroanatomy and neuroethology over the course of his 30 year career. He was inspired by elephant behaviour scientist Dr Joyce Poole to learn more about the neuronal morphology of the African elephant brain. Professor Jacobs has retired from research, he continues to teach at Colorado College and advocates for animal welfare.

DR PATRICIA LONDON

Biography

Dr Trish London is a consulting veterinarian for the Global Elephant Sanctuary in Brazil. The image in her profile is of Pupy, a thirty-five year old African Elephant recently evacuated from a zoo in Argentina to a sanctuary in Matt Grosse in Brazil. Dr Trish London was intricately involved with preparing and accompanying Pupy on the 2700 kilometre overland journey.

Dr Trish London is the founder of the Asian Elephant Wellness Project a US based 501 C3 organisation in 2020, established to create collaborations between organisations and facilities that work with Asian Elephants, bringing together a global network of scientists, qualified trainers and instructors who are dedicated to the health and welfare and preservation of the Asian Elephant.

Dr Trish London has worked with elephants for twenty-four years and attended the University of Georgia to pursue her dream of becoming an elephant veterinarian.

Image: James Suter