Your Choices Have a Global Impact
SINCE 2015
Why Elephant Conservation is Important
Asian elephants are endangered. Tea estates and other crops are a contributing factor. Fewer than 50,000 wild Asian Elephants exist - India holds 60% of the population. Deforestation has caused fragmentation of elephant habitat and has interrupted seasonal migration.
Elephants enter tea plantations in search for food. The tea gardens have taken away the land that once provided an abundance of food for the elephants. Elephants are feared. They trample tea gardens, destroy land, eat crops, demolish homes, and kill approximately 500 people a year. As many as 3,938 people have been killed by elephants in India between 2014 and 2022. This is called Human Elephant Conflict or HEC. The goal is to recover and restore the natural/ biological corridors so elephants can safely move about without coming in contact with humans.
Elephants die because of retaliation killings- poaching, poisoning, trench trapping and electrocuting. They also struggle for food and get injured while crossing roadways. Each year, more than 450 Asian elephants are killed as a result of Human Elephant Conflict.
Elephant conservation is paramount for their survival. The elephant is considered a keystone species meaning that they play a serious role in the ecosystem. Their habits are necessary for the survival of flora and fauna- they spread seeds, produce fertilizer, prune trees, open tree canopies, and aerate soil. They are highly intelligent with reasoning skills, emotions, empathy, sympathy and they need our help.
We at Petali Teas are committed to do what we can to help reduce human elephant conflict. We started the ELEPHANT APPROVED® program in 2015 and over the years have donated to wildlife conservation groups helping to restore elephant corridors and move villages to safer regions, certified tea gardens exhibiting wildlife conservation initiatives, purchased tea and accessories in India from companies supporting the cause, and donated to a conservation group in Assam conducting HEC safety and elephant fodder plantation training.
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We believe that the future of ELEPHANT APPROVED® will be to continue supporting the elephant fodder plantation and reforestation efforts. Reestablishing elephant territory will foster coexistence.
Safety Crisis
Tea pickers face many occupational hazards in the tea gardens. King cobra, Hump-nosed pit vipers, Red-tailed bamboo pit vipers, and other venomous snakes, leopards, Royal Bengal tiger, and elephants all pose a threat to the people picking tea. Poor healthcare and lack of anti-venom kits contribute to deaths.
Nature Crisis
Nature crisis! Are we experiencing a 6th Mass Extinction period? There are eight million species on Earth. Approximately 15,000 are facing extinction due to deforestation, overhunting, and pollution. Some biologist believe 82 species go extinct per day.
Elephant Crisis
The conservation status of Asian elephants is endangered, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Each year, 450 Asian elephants die from Human Elephant Conflict.
