Exodus ramps up support for elephant conservation efforts

Exodus Travels has announced more support of elephant conservation efforts and an upcoming trip with Patricia Sims, founder of World Elephant Day.

Exodus Travels’ ‘Free to Roam’ elephant conservation project is based in Tsavo National Park in Kenya, a major wilderness area that is home to the country’s largest population of elephants.

Working together with on-the-ground conservation experts Tsavo Trust and the Tofauti Foundation, the project is designed to reduce human-wildlife conflict and educate local people on the benefits of wildlife conservation through the introduction of the 10% Fence Plan, which was designed to prevent crop raiding and livestock predation and, in turn, increase food security for the people that call this area home.

Last year, the ‘Free to Roam’ project implemented the plan in the Kamungi Conservancy in Kenya’s Tsavo West National Park.

This year, thanks to the success of the initial roll-out, the Exodus Travels Foundation will support the construction of two additional fences in the nearby Shirango Conservancy in Tsavo East National Park.

“The Exodus Travels 'Free to Roam' project in Tsavo demonstrates that positive results are possible when companies, conservation organizations, and local communities work together to achieve a peaceful and sustainable co-existence between elephants, wildlife, and people, where everyone wins,” stated Patricia Sims, founder of World Elephant Day, an annual event on Aug. 12 that is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world’s elephants.

The goal of “Free to Roam” is to allow elephants and other wildlife to thrive, with more space to roam, by empowering the local Tsavo communities to give 90 per cent of land back to nature, while increasing food security by delivering permaculture training for locals who own the remaining 10 per cent.

This buffer zone aims to help form a peaceful co-existence between local wildlife and members of the surrounding communities, who benefit through improved farming techniques that help them become self-sufficient through sustainable means.

In related news, Exodus Travels has also announced a departure to Kenya with Patricia Sims that coincides with World Elephant Day 2024, as part of its Royal Canadian Geographic Society (RCGS) Quests collection.

Details about this and other notable RCGS trips will be introduced next month.

For more on the ‘Free to Roam’ project, watch Exodus’ original short film Living in the Land of the Tuskers, which the company released last year. 

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