Volunteer with Elephants: Elephant Conser­va­tion Work

Volunteering abroad with elephants

Volunteer abroad with elephants and contribute to protecting and conserving the gentle giants as a voluntary helper in one of our elephant aid projects in Asia and Southern Africa – and spend an exceptional and inspiring time abroad, surrounded by incomparable landscapes and fascinating wildlife.

Massive, awe-inspiring, highly intelligent – and considered as endangered. Elephants are truly impressive and encountering one of these giant mammals is a deep, magical and unforgettable experience. Even though they almost don’t have any natural enemies, they are increasingly facing great threats to their existence.

Nowadays, almost anywhere in the world, elephants die faster than they reproduce. This is true for the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), the largest living terrestrial mammal, for the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) as well as for the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Meanwhile, all three species are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Why elephant conservation

Poaching and habitat loss are the two main reasons for the strong decline in the populations of these fascinating mammals. Each day, almost 100 elephants die in Africa due to illegal hunting. The poachers focus on the tusks. Their ivory is mainly smuggled to East Asia where the predominantly illegal trade with the bloody goods is blooming.
Another severe problem: The so-called human-wildlife-conflict. In Africa as well as in Asia, the gentle giants’ natural habitats increasingly overlap with the ones of human populations. As both parties want to secure land and food resources for themselves, often fatal conflicts are the result.

Volunteer opportunities with elephants

African elephant volunteer programs

Volunteer work with elephants in Africa: As a volunteer in our elephant project in Namibia, you are actively involved in mitigating the human-wildlife-conflict in the country's impressive Damaraland by creating a balance which meets the needs of both humans and animals. You support locals in building protective walls around their wells and make new water sources accessible for the native elephants – important steps to help contain the human-elephant-conflict. Furthermore, you monitor the elephants to collect data about their movement patterns and way of living. This way you gain interesting insights, useful for developing specific conservation strategies for elephants.

African elephant conservation in an elephant sanctuary: Another way to help endangered elephants in Africa is to volunteer with orphaned elephants as an elephant sanctuary volunteer in Zambia. You can either become active in an Elephant Nursery near Lusaka which ensures 24/7 care of orphaned elephants – or support the animals' release process in awe-inspiring Kafue National Park. Both of them are outstanding opportunities to gain insight into real species conser­va­tion.

Sri Lanka elephant volunteer program

When volunteering with elephants in our elephant conservation project in Sri Lanka, you are actively involved in researching the endangered Asian elephants and, in this way, contribute to their protection and conservation. Helping to collect information about the Asian elephant, collecting important environmental and socio-economic data, working together with the local public – tasks you will complete to help ease Sri Lanka's prevailing human-elephant-conflict.

Best elephant volunteer programs

What distinguishes Natucate from others: We do not offer any projects in elephant sanctuaries that allow direct interaction with the animals – since many of these camps and parks turn out to be highly unethical, using harmful practices. We at Natucate want you to walk beside elephants – not to ride them.

Volunteer work with elephants – a unique hands-on experience abroad and a valuable contribution to wildlife conservation. You would like to help elephants in Africa and Asia, learn about conservation strategies for the impressive animals and immerse yourself into pristine landscapes and a new culture? Then contact our team at Natucate. We answer all of your questions and provide you with useful information regarding how and where to volunteer with elephants, requirements as a project participant and what to expect on site as an elephant volunteer in Africa or Asia.