Tag Archives: donation

Help Complete The Elephant Leg Factory

Mosha Wearing LegD The prosthetic leg factory, just for elephants, will soon be operating at Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Thailand. This is a unique and wonderful facility that can make and repair custom-fit artificial limbs for elephants who need them.

Why do elephants need replacement legs? For the same reason people do. Something horrible has happened to these elephants and one of their legs was damaged so badly that it needed to be amputated. The most common situation is that a working elephant accidentally steps on a hidden land mine from some long forgotten conflict in Southeast Asia. In seconds, massive amounts of flesh are shredded, leaving the poor, unsuspecting elephant to limp back to its camp.

An elephant with half a leg can barely walk, much less work. The most dire option is to mercifully euthanize the elephant. Nobody wants that option if there is any hope whatsoever. Today, there is.

LegFactoryEquip3Friends of the Asian Elephant is dedicated to treating sick and injured elephants in the Thailand – Burma area. They have worked with leading prosthetics doctors to develop an artificial leg that can take the weight of a walking elephant, yet cause no pain or further damage.

The legs work beautifully. Two pioneering patients, Mosha and Motala, have proven that elephants nearly killed from exploding land mines can recover and lead relatively normal elephant lives. The only problem remaining is that the legs need frequent repairs from the enormous stresses of movement. Growing younger elephants, like Mosha, need new legs the way we need new and larger pairs of shoes as we grow up. Often this means long waits for equipment and expertise to arrive at the hospital.

LegFactory021316EAThis is what the new elephant prosthetic leg “factory” will fix. A building has been constructed on-site and tools and equipment ordered. Everything is being installed right now. Within the next month, they hope to start working on the first elephant leg repairs and replacements.

Does this sound like a worthy effort that you would like to help finish? Your support is needed right now to pay for all of the construction, specialized equipment, tools, and supplies that are needed to make new elephant “legs.” We’ve raised over half the amount required, and now must make a final push to collect the money needed to pay the bills and ensure that when elephants need legs, everything will be there to make or repair them.

Please consider making a donation right now, while you are thinking of it. Any amount from $10 on up will be greatly appreciated. Our CrowdRise fundraiser can take credit card payments worldwide.

How and Why I’m Going Bananas For Elephants

By: John Shepler

I’m turning 65 this June. It’s a big birthday. One that justifies a big celebration. But instead of collecting more stuff (the house is already overflowing), I’ve decided to dedicate my birthday to a personal passion, improving the lives of elephants.
Version 2Elephants are Hurting in Asia
Elephants are hard at work in Asian countries, such as Thailand. Just like people, elephants get sick and injured on the job.Unlike people, there aren’t hospitals and quick care medical centers around every corner. There is one hospital just for elephants, though. This is the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand. It’s the world’s first hospital dedicated to treating elephants for as long as they need it. It’s also unique in that the mahouts that work one on one with the elephants are invited to stay at the hospital while their elephant is being cared for, at no charge for mahout or elephant.

It Costs a Lot to Care For Elephants
In my conversations with Soraida Salwala, the founder of the FAE hospital, I learned that just the food to care for the elephants staying at FAE is an expensive proposition. These eles are large and so are their appetites. They consume up to 3 tons per day of grass and bananas, depending on how many patients there are. This includes 1,700 hands of bananas per week that costs about 10,200 Thai Baht or around $340 USD. Grass and Bananas together cost $1,631 per week. And then there’s medicine, doctors, caregivers and facility expenses. All of this has to be provided by generous donations from supporters worldwide.

The Let’s Go Bananas Campaign
I’d love to raise funds that cover all the costs of feeding and  caring for the elephant at FAE, but I thought that a good start would be a campaign that would pay for at least the bananas. Some quick mental math says that one donation of $65 for each day in the month of June would easily cover the cost of the banana deliveries plus a little extra. $65 x 30 days in the month comes out to $1950. That’s a lucky coincidence because 1950 was the year I was born. Seems cosmically ordained, doesn’t it?

How the Fundraiser Works
I’ve set up a fundraiser on CrowdRise to make the process of donating fast and easy. It’s called, as you might suspect, “Going Bananas for Elephants”. I’m asking for $65 from everyone who would like to contribute, but this is not a hard and fast number. If it’s too much, a smaller contribution will also be appreciated. Of course, if you’d like to go bananas too, multiples of $65 will provide even more care for the elephants. The basic idea is to reach or exceed the $1950 goal by the end of June and send the collected funds to Soraida at FAE to support the operation of the hospital. I am going to match the first $650 in donations at the end of the month and add that to the total as a bonus.

You can visit my fundraiser page at https://www.crowdrise.com/goingbananasforelephants or use the CrowdRise widget on this page. Just click on the big orange button that says “Donate to this Fundraiser.” Your name and donation will be added to the rotating honor roll of donors and you can see how close we are coming to the $1950 goal.

Please note that CrowdRise accepts all major credit cards. If you would prefer to contribute via PayPal, contact me and I’ll send you details. If you are planning a large corporate or organizational donation, please contact me in advance to make arrangements (ongoing).

Your Help is Very Important
Think we can do it? Will we meet the fundraising goal of $1950 by the end of the month? Well, your contribution will certainly help and I urge you to go ahead an make it now before you get busy with other things. Another way you can make a big difference is to spread word of this fundraiser far and wide using your social media accounts for Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and personal email lists. If you know anyone who is sympathetic to the plight of elephants, please give them the chance to participate. These contributions really will make a difference in the lives of elephants and their mahouts who need the care only Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital can provide.

July 1, 2FundraiserAnnouncement015 Update
The amazing enthusiasm and participation of everyone who supported this fundraiser in June pushed us well past the goal and up to ….. drumroll, please… $3,065, which is over 100, 000 THB at today’s conversion rate.

I’ve sent your contributions on to Soraida at FAE, but I’m leaving the “Go Bananas” fundraiser open for the indefinite future. Why? I know some of you who would like to have donated didn’t hear about the campaign in time or had other commitments that prevented you from making a contribution during the month of June. You are still in luck! CrowdRise will graciously accept your credit card donations and I will send you the PayPal address upon request. Funds collected will be periodically forwarded to Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Thailand. Thank you so much for your support!