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Read our recent publications and resources in VFAES


Is it Ethically Right to Keep Elephants in Solitary Confinement?
In recent years science has begun to acknowledge and accept that elephants feel emotions, with many scientists questioning the ethics...


Think before you ride that elephant: What you need to know about the notorious Phajaan ceremony
The tourism industry has long used the visual trope of riding an elephant to be the ultimate vacation signature. But the trend may be...


Caparisoned Elephants: Sad Faces of Temple Festivals in Kerala
Kerala—the tropical strip of a state in India’s south with its alluring palm-fringed beaches, lush rainforests, mountain ridged valleys,...


What The Herd’s Heard: Elephants Think On Their Feet
The elephant: Majestic, intelligent, altruistic, herbivore, long-distance walker, playful, naughty, allo-mother, bull patriarch, female...


Power, Royalty, Reverence: Elephants in Asian Culture
Elephas maximus —the monumental archetype of power and wisdom, compassion and prosperity, charisma and reverence—is one of the largest...


Ripple Effects of Global Climate Change
It's undeniable that the earth's average temperatures have risen over the past six decades. A World Bank report entitled South Asia's...


Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, And Compassion Satisfaction
As elephant advocates, we’ve witnessed never ending traumas inflicted on elephants, one of the gentlest and most intelligent of all...


Elephants are the Breath of Life!
What if you knew that elephants are the breath of life and natural air purifiers? What would you be willing to do to save them? The basic...


A Call for New Ethics in an Overpopulated Planet
However in the past few decades its magnificent golden rays have become harmful to man. The ozone layer , which shields the earth from...


The Cost Of Caring: Turning Compassion Fatigue And Vicarious Trauma Into Self-Compassionate Growth
When I started mental health counseling in 1993 there was little literature on secondary traumatization of the counselor. I found myself...


Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Aftermath of Acute and Chronic Trauma in Elephants
It’s emotionally difficult to comprehend that elephants may soon be extinct secondary to ivory poaching and land-management conflict. To...


Human Population Growth Is The Greatest Threat To Asian Elephants' Survival
In recent days, human-elephant conflicts have been escalating, making sensational headlines across India. One of the recent deaths of a...


Why Kerala's Ailing Elephants Are Rotting To Death
Another captive elephant in Kerala is on the death row, rotting away standing on his urine and excrement. His name is Thriprayar...


Safe Passage for Elephants in Tea Plantations of West Bengal
This project aims to create safe pathways for elephants migrating through tea plantations while restoring their habitats with native...


Forgotten Elephants of Odisha
In partnership with Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), a team of local conservationists is steering knowledge-driven elephant...


Project Captive Elephants Rehabilitation
Elephants have been part of Kerala’s culture, to the extent that they’ve been in the past three decades. Many elephant owners and brokers...


Champions to Feed Odisha Elephants
As forest resources in Odisha rapidly dwindle due to development pressures, distressed and famished elephants are forced to enter...


United Nations: Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace...


Facts About Kerala's Festivities
Asian elephants have been elevated to India’s Heritage Animal status, featured on the emblem of the Government of Kerala. But ironically...
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