Voice for Asian Elephants Society
Creating Sustainable Human Communities by Saving the Endangered Asian Elephants
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Asian elephants are an endangered species, with around 40,000 of them around the world, at least 27,000 in India. Therefore, our programs are based in India. Due to the significant human population growth, people are encroaching into the elephant habitats, and taking resources, pushing elephants out of their homes, and intensifying human elephant conflict. VFAES aims to create corridors for elephants, purchase vast swaths of land, and create habitable forestland for elephants. India also has approximately 2,500 captive elephants, mostly exploited in festivals in the name of culture and religion. However, due to congested roads and the significant human population, as well as extremely hot weather patterns, elephants are unable to withstand the heat and noise and crowded streets. They're running amok, destroying properties and killing people. VFAES aims to empower youth, bureaucrats and the general public through films and other nonconventional means the need to retire elephants.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
EleSense to Save Elephants from India's Deadly Train Tracks
Unsustainable development including railway tracks and roads that cut through core habitats are a major cause of elephant deaths. Every year 2-3 elephants die in train collisions. Speed restrictions are enforced inside protected areas but not outside where most accidents occur. We are piloting an early warning system to alert train drivers of elephant presence, with enough time for the speeding train to stop. The sirens will also warn elephants about the trains, preventing them from crossing.
EleSense is an innovative technology, an early warning sensor system that cautions train drivers of elephant presence, while alerting elephants, thus helping prevent railway collisions and deaths. Sensor detects elephant presence up to 500 meters and triggers an alarm, which will be intercepted by railways. So far 130 devices have been installed on fringes of core habitats, proving to be effective in mitigating human-elephant-conflict. $30,000 for 1st phase is funded. Next $30,000 for 2nd phase.
EleFence to Save Elephants from Electrocution
In India's West Bengal state, 1-2 elephants die each year from accidental or deliberate electrocutions. But by November 2020 up to 10 elephants had been electrocuted. While some cases were caused by sagging wires, deliberate electrocutions have been surging during COVID lockdown, with farmers protecting their crops using illegal electrical fences. This pilot, based in Jalpaiguri district, aims to thwart elephant electrocution by using friendly fences and community outreach to create awareness.
We have installed elephant-friendly solar fencing around 3Km of a farmland and it is very effective. We are monitoring wildlife movement using camera trap. We have now launched our second phase. This project, based in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal state in India, aims to thwart elephant electrocution by using friendly fences and community outreach to create awareness.
Champions to Feed Odisha Elephants
Habitat loss is pushing elephants out of the forests in search of food, and they often get hit and killed by oncoming trucks. We have cultivated elephant-friendly fodder in our plant nursery and are in the process of replanting them to restore the depleted habitats.
As forest resources in Odisha rapidly dwindle due to development pressures, distressed and famished elephants are forced to enter villages and cropland in search of food, by crossing major highways. This is intensifying human elephant conflict and causing an unprecedented number of elephant deaths by vehicle collisions. Restoring degraded habitats with favored elephant plant species will provide safe foraging grounds for elephants and prevent them from crossing treacherous roads to find food.
Saving Odisha Elephants from Traffic Deaths
Elephant deaths due to traffic collisions are mounting in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. The problem is, major highways are cutting through core elephant habitats, forcing elephants to cross treacherous roads in search of food. Motorists, in particular truck drivers, drive recklessly. The existing elephant crossing signs are inconspicuous and ineffective. Our groundbreaking reflective billboards, 9' above ground, will alert Odisha drivers, warning them to slow down and save elephants.
We have installed groundbreaking reflective billboards 9' above ground, which will alert Odisha drivers, warning them to slow down and save elephants. The reflective road signages to alert the drivers in elephant crossing zones are now ready for installation, expected to begin by mid-April in the eastern Indian state of Odisha! The signages designed in local Odiya language will be placed 9' above ground, tall enough to alert Odisha’s truck drivers to slow down.
Flash the Lights to Save Elephants of India
This project aims to create safe shared spaces for people and elephants, using science based solutions. In West Bengal state, India, human and elephant deaths are alarmingly high at approx. 40 people and six elephants per year. A simple tool like flashlights are proving to be so effective that in the 50 villages we have distributed 2000 flashlights, there has been no elephant or human deaths. We are now distributing 2000 more flashlights in the southern region of West Bengal in our second phase.
Since the launch of this initiative there has been no human or elephant deaths in the 3,000 KM area that we have covered so far. Despite the 4th wave of COVID lockdowns, as of April 2022, we have distributed more than 2,000 flashlights, and our tea plantation community leaders continue to empower their peers and coworkers. Our project has impacted 50 villages, and 7000 people in a landscape where humans encounter elephants frequently.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of free participants in conferences
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
EleFence to Save Elephants from Electrocution
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
* Multi-stakeholder virtual Gentle Giant Summit for key decision makers
Number of undercover investigations/videos to uncover unethical treatment of animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Adolescents, People of South Asian descent, People of East Asian descent, Activists
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
300 hours of footage of wild elephants struggling in West Bengal, Assam and Odisha states of India, revealing humans encroaching into the wild habitats; construction of national highways and railways.
Number of press articles published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Religious groups
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
After the launch of Asian Elephants 101 series, produced and directed by our Founder, Sangita Iyer, local and international dailies published articles on human elephant conflict in India
Number of participants reporting greater issue awareness
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Asian Elephants 101 series airing on Nat Geo WILD YouTube has garnered at least 500000 in just 15 days since its launch on World Elephant Day (August 12, 2021) Nat Geo TV India has millions of viewers
Number of youth who demonstrate critical thinking skills (e.g., reasoning, analysis)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
EleSense to Save Elephants from India's Deadly Train Tracks
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
After the screenings in universities and higher secondary schools, during the Q&A session students demonstrated invaluable discussions, connecting the dots between culture and elephant exploitation
Number of meetings with policymakers or candidates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Tribal and indigenous religious groups, Academics
Related Program
EleSense to Save Elephants from India's Deadly Train Tracks
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
At least 25 meetings with bureaucrats, including the Project Elephant Director, Director General of Forests of India, relevant people in Kerala's departments, police chief, chief willdife warden
Number of meetings held with decision makers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
EleSense to Save Elephants from India's Deadly Train Tracks
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Held meetings with numerous Central and State Governmental levels. India's Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change; Kerala's Chief Minister, Forest Minister, and other decision makers
Number of policy guidelines or proposals developed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
EleSense to Save Elephants from India's Deadly Train Tracks
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We provided the Chief Wildlife Warden a revised set of Kerala Captive Elephant Management and Maintenance Rules and guidelines to create rescue and rehabilitation centers in Kerala
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Ethnic and racial groups
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our FB following has grown significantly since the release of the multiple award winning film Gods in Shackles
Number of educational screenings
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
EleSense to Save Elephants from India's Deadly Train Tracks
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We had more than 80 screenings around the world, including key cities in the USA - LA, Boston, Baltimore, San Diego, in Canada - Toronto, in India - New Delhi, Bangalore Mumbai, Trivandrum, and more.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our mission is to protect endangered Asian elephants of India by preserving corridors for wild elephants and restoring their habitats, while providing basic knowledge and tools to the people living near the forest fringes to alleviate human elephant conflict, thereby fostering peaceful coexistence between people and wild elephants.
In realizing our vision and mission:
1) Create elephant corridors and restore their lost habitat to protect Asian elephants in collaboration with the state forest departments
2) Alleviate HEC through capacity building and training programs for the local communities living on the forest fringes, and creating sustainable communities
3) Provide the native people near the forest fringes basic necessities and survival tools like flashlights, the first line of defense to protect themselves and elephants
4) Organize youth empowerment programs to cultivate empathy and compassion for elephants, and empower them to pursue ecological studies and elephant conservation
5) Conduct sensitization workshops for bureaucrats, law enforcement authorities, religious institutions, and decision makers, to advocate for legislative changes in tackling wildlife crime and ending elephant capture
6) Provide capacity building and hands-on training for elephant handlers (mahouts) to foster compassionate treatment of captive elephants, in collaboration with forest departments across states that house captive elephants
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1) Build broad public awareness through film, education, nature immersion, and multi-media campaigns, to foster thoughtful shifts in ethical and cultural attitudes
2) Provide basic necessities, starting with flashlights, to people living on the forest fringes in order to help mitigate human-elephant conflict
3) Design and install EleSense to alert elephants of the arrival of trains and caution the train driver to slow down, thus preventing elephants from getting killed on India's deadly train tracks
4) Install elephant friendly fencing in villages to prevent electrocution deaths of elephants
5) Install large road signage to prevent elephant deaths as they cross major highways to reach the adjacent forest patches
6) Purchase land to create a permanent nursery and grow elephant friendly saplings, which will be transplanted in forests
7) Collaborate with Forest Departments to create corridors, and promote biodiversity, so elephants have enough land to sustain themselves
8) Gentle Giant Summit Project helps foster collaboration and communication between various governmental agencies to build consensus and work together in protecting wild elephants, while enhancing the living conditions of captive elephants
9) Conduct town-hall meetings with communities near the forest fringes to build awareness of the rescue program and engage them as partners in mitigating human/elephant conflict
10) Project Asian Elephants 101, a 7-day nature immersion program for the youth to help the younger generation reconnect with the natural world
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have a robust team of highly qualified Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee from versatile backgrounds. Our board was formed in November 2017. VFAES has recently recruited a digital strategist to harness the power of social media, especially during the COVID lock down. We also depend on talented and dedicated volunteers, who are assisting with social media, graphics, and other fundraising tools
The VFAES board holds quarterly “virtual" meetings, and is working to establish a governance structure and put financial and other controls in place and to create and implement a fundraising plan. The VFAES Board of Directors currently stands at five, and the five Advisory Board members are world-renowned elephant and animal welfare experts, and we will continue to seek qualified candidates until we have at least ten Board of Directors. VFAES is staffed by a small but passionate, highly educated and efficient Board of Directors from various walks of life.
Sangita Iyer, Founding Executive Director of Voice for Asian Elephants Society, based in the United States is a highly experienced award-winning nature and wildlife journalist, an independent documentary filmmaker, and a biologist. Sangita is holds a Masters' degree in Environmental Education and Communication, a B. Sc. in Biology, and a post-graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism (Dean's Honorary Role).
Nancy Lee Ma, CPA is the CEO and Founder of Crystal Clear Profits, Inc. She comes to VFAES with over 30 years of experience as a CPA and working with non-profit organizations, including small local non-profits and a national wildlife animal sanctuary with $3M in revenue. She has served in various financial capacities for the non-profit organizations as a board member and volunteer. Her passion is to raise human consciousness of the planet, and to educate the public on caring for our environmental resources and preservation of all endangered species.
Nancy Plant has been a lawyer for more than 30 years. She has practiced law in a variety of settings, including the biopharmaceutical industry and, most recently, the nonprofit sector, and has worked with organizations of all sizes and types, ranging from small, all-volunteer nonprofits to publicly held, Fortune 500 companies. Nancy is also a freelance grant writer, working with nonprofits in the environmental and social services fields. She is the co-author of two books about law and social issues and several articles.
Ravi Manian is our Budget Specialist. He is an IT Application Systems specialist who recently retired from the field after 30 years, the last 10 years having worked for 20th Century Fox. Ravi is also a cost accountant and brings his accounting expertise to help us compile a robust annual budget for the organization, while also helping produce project budgets for various projects.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
1) We have delivered 4000 flashlights thus far, despite the COVID restrictions, meeting our goal, so tea plantation workers and elephants become alert of each other's presence (in West Bengal) and avert tragedies
2) EleSense - a high tech device to prevent elephant deaths on train tracks has been designed, ready to be installed in December in the norther region of West Bengal, in collaboration with forest and railway ministries
3) Installation of third face of the elephant friendly fencing is about to get under underway in the third village. Solar electric fencing, galvanized wires (not electrical) fencing, an eco friendly concoction that emanate potent odor to deter elephants are the specific methodologies we are using (in West Bengal) to stave off elephants from agricultural land and prevent electrocution deaths
4) For the first time ever reflective signage alerting drivers to slow down will be installed in elephant crossing areas along major roads that connect to the highways
5) One Gentle Giant Summit has been conducted so far with more than 200 stakeholders participating from various faculties, including forest, power supplier, works & engineering, railway authorities and conservationists
6) Project Asian Elephants 101 for youth involved 100 participants who graduated after a 7-day nature immersion program as Elephant Ambassadors
7) $40,000 has been earmarked to purchase land in Kerala and to create corridors. Our efforts have been thwarted because of COVID lockdowns across India
8) Sangita Iyer's 26-part short film series on Asian elephants was recently released on Nat Geo with almost 100,000 views in some of the films in a matter of two weeks.
Founding Executive Director, Sangita Iyer is constantly on the ground, providing numerous workshops to the forest department, alerting the authorities of the abysmal conditions that captive elephants suffer. Since 2009, Sangita Iyer has been tirelessly exposing atrocities against Temple Elephants in the southern Indian state of Kerala. In 2016, she produced a United Nations-nominated and multiple award-winning documentary, Gods in Shackles, to heighten awareness of the plight of Indian elephants exploited in glamorous cultural festivals.
As a biologist, journalist and filmmaker, it has been natural for Sangita to integrate science in her documentaries. She is the Executive Director and Producer of Gods in Shackles documentary that exposes the truth behind the glamorous cultural festivals, where temple elephants are exploited for profit behind the veil of culture and religion. The film, has won 13 Awards, and was nominated at the United Nations General Assembly by the prestigious International Elephant Film Festival and Convention on the International Trade for Endangered Species (CITES).
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Voice for Asian Elephants Society
Board of directorsas of 10/27/2022
Ms. Nancy Lee Ma (CPA)
Crystal Clear Profits
Term: 2018 - 2024
Mr. Ravi Manian
Cost Accountant
Term: 2018 - 2028
Nancy Lee Ma
Crystal Clear Profits Inc.
Sangita Iyer
self employed
Luveen Rupchand Wadhwani
Self employed
Kathleen Morsten Kastner
Retired
Nancy Plant
Independent Lawyer
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