We need to act now

BTEH is dedicated to the well-being and survival of African and Asian elephants, fostering socio-ecological resilience in communities seeking human-elephant coexistence, and striving for a world where both elephants and people can thrive. Our community-based conservation approach, developed since BTEH’s founding in 2004, emphasises shared decision-making, sustainability, equality, and partnerships. Through our projects, we promote evidence-based solutions that achieve human-elephant coexistence through range expansion, habitat restoration and supporting farmers in elephant-friendly livelihoods and land use, generating benefits for people, elephants and the ecosystems they share.

For the future of elephants!

Elephants are a keystone species in the ecosystems they are part of. Elephants disperse seeds, maintain grasslands and find water, all crucial for the survival of other species.

The mission of Bring The Elephant Home is to increase the chances of survival for elephants
in the wild and strive towards a
harmonious world where both humans and elephants can thrive, mutually benefiting from
coexistence.

Antoinette van de Water – founder BTEH

We need your help

We always welcome partners, volunteers, donors and sponsors for our projects. Please consider participating in one of our initiatives or supporting our mission by making a donation. You can follow the latest news here.

Meet the team

Bring The Elephant Home is active on three continents. There is a lot of work to do for our various projects around the world, and we help to realise our ambitious plans is always welcome! More info: support@bteh.org. Meet the team!

See more projects ›

Latest news

Adopt Asian Elephants

Read more

header1

Adopt African Elephants

Read more

d8aa6f93-4018-3c3c-b841-12875c230dde

Video: Celebrating 20 years

Read more

See more news ›

Newest video

See more videos ›

Visit our Instagram

  • 🌍🐘 Climate Change & Human-Elephant Conflict: A Growing Challenge 🐘🌍 A recent study by Guarnieri et al., 2024 explores how climate change, agricultural expansion, and human population growth are reshaping human-elephant conflict across Africa and Asia. 🔺The findings? By 2050, conflict risk will increase, especially under high-emission scenarios, making proactive mitigation efforts more urgent than ever. ⭐️Key Takeaways: 1. More conflict, more challenges – As croplands and human settlements expand, elephants will face shrinking safe spaces, escalating crop-raiding and human-wildlife tensions. 2. Climate shifts matter – While some areas may become less suitable for elephants, others will see intensified conflict risk where climate stress and human expansion collide. 3. The future is in our hands – Under low-emission scenarios, conflict risk remains lower, highlighting the power of sustainable action. 💡 Why This Matters & What We Can Do: At BTEH, we work to foster human-elephant coexistence through elephant-friendly agriculture, community-led conservation, and conflict mitigation strategies. This study underscores the urgency of scaling up solutions—like beehive fences, alternative crops, and land-use planning—to reduce tensions and protect both people and elephants. ✅ Take Action Today! - Support elephant-friendly agriculture by choosing sustainable products. - Raise awareness—share this post and spark conversations about human-elephant coexistence. - Donate to organizations funding conflict mitigation and wildlife conservation. 🔎 Read the full study here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861898/ #HumanElephantCoexistence #ConservationMatters #ClimateChange #WildlifeProtection #PNAS #Africa #Asia #climateaction
  • 🌿🐘 After months of dedication and hard work, our amazing intern Marieke is heading home—but she will always be a part of the Bring The Elephant Home family! 💚 During her time with us, Marieke made a lasting impact, getting involved in every aspect of our work in Thailand. Her biggest project? A groundbreaking initiative to identify individual Asian elephants in Kuiburi National Park—working together with the local community! Here’s how Marieke describes her project: 📝 “During my internship, I developed a project plan to identify individual elephants in Kuiburi National Park through a unique and interactive approach—elephant ID trivia nights! Local participants will engage in fun, educational sessions where they learn to recognize elephants while strengthening their connection to conservation. Alongside this, I designed a research methodology using interviews to assess how participation in the project influences people’s attitudes towards elephants and their identification skills. With the support of the BTEH team, the local community, funders, and scientific advisors, we successfully tested both the trivia nights and interviews. I’m excited to see how BTEH brings this project to life and what insights it will reveal!” As we move forward with implementation, we are beyond grateful for Marieke’s passion, dedication, and invaluable contributions. Thank you for everything, Marieke! 💚🐘 📸 Drop a message for Marieke in the comments and show her some love! 💬👇 #ElephantConservation #CommunityScience #ElephantID #BringTheElephantHome #WildlifeResearch #MariekeRocks #Gratitude
  • 🐘🔎 Check out this new blog! 🌏📡 Sateesh, researcher and collaborator from Trunks & Leaves, returned to our fieldsite in Ruam Thai a few months ago in Ruam Thai, where he continued his study on elephant behavior using camera traps, drones, and acoustic recorders. His work sheds light on our continued work to understand elephant activity and behavior in farms and crop fields. As Sateesh notes: "My research covers two locations with remarkably similar problems, even though an ocean separates them. Outside of Thailand’s Kui Buri National Park, farmers spend their mornings preparing pineapple fields for harvest, while across the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka, farmers near Udawalawe National Park set out to monitor a variety of different crops. Though separated by thousands of miles, these communities share a common challenge: finding ways to thrive alongside Asian elephants in an increasingly crowded landscape." This vital research bridges continents, bringing insights that can support farmers and conservationists working to coexist with wildlife. 🌿🐘 📖 Read more in Sateesh’s latest blog post: https://maximus.trunksnleaves.org/.../shared-history.../ #HumanElephantCoexistence #ElephantConservation #WildlifeResearch #RuamThai #Thailand #KuiBuri #Coexistence #CameraTraps #DronesForConservation #AcousticMonitoring #AsianElephants
  • Dutch -- 🌿✨ Speciale gasten in Ruam Thai! ✨🐘 💚 Dankzij hun vrijgevigheid kunnen we onze natuurbeschermingsinspanningen direct ondersteunen. Gedurende drie onvergetelijke dagen hebben we hen volledig laten kennismaken met onze missie. Heel veel dank aan onze VIP-gasten voor hun steun aan natuurbescherming via GlobeGuards en voor hun bezoek aan ons veldstation om met eigen ogen te zien hoe lokale gemeenschappen toonaangevend zijn in duurzame oplossingen! 💚🌍 #BringTheElephantHome #MensOlifantCoexistentie #GlobeGuards #EcoToerisme #AlternatieveInkomstenbronnen #NatuurbeschermingInActie English -- 🌿✨ Special Guests in Ruam Thai! ✨🐘 This week, we had the pleasure of hosting the incredible winners of the Globe Guards Auction at our Bring the Elephant Home field station! 💚 Their generosity directly supports conservation efforts, and we were thrilled to immerse them in our mission for three unforgettable days. A huge thank you to our VIP guests for supporting conservation through Globe Guards and experiencing firsthand how local communities are leading the way in sustainable solutions! 💚🌍 #BringTheElephantHome #HumanElephantCoexistence #GlobeGuards #EcoTourism #AlternativeLivelihoods #ConservationInAction
  • 🌿🐘 Meet one of our long-time study stars! This young male elephant has been part of our research since 2022, and these images capture his journey into adulthood. From wandering solo to bonding in a bachelor group with three other young males, and even sparring with an older bull, his behavior challenges the traditional view of male elephants as strictly solitary. Through our ongoing longitudinal study, we’re uncovering the rich social lives of male elephants and their interconnected roles within elephant society—a complexity that evolves throughout their lives. 📖✨ A special shoutout to our incredible volunteer and intern, Marieke from the Netherlands! 🙌💚 Over the past six months, Marieke has played an integral role in the progression of this project, bringing passion, dedication, and insight to our work. We couldn’t have done this without you, Marieke—thank you for everything! 🌟 This research is a collaborative effort with the Conservation Ecology Program at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (https://cons-ecol-kmutt.weebly.com). #ElephantBehavior #ConservationResearch #WildlifeScience #ElephantsOfThailand #HumanWildlifeCoexistence #CEGKMUTT #ConservationPartners #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork #ThankYouMarieke
  • 🌍🐘 Elephants, Pineapples, and Farmers, Oh My! 🐝🍍 We’re thrilled to share a blog written by Allie Keating from SSA Group, who recently joined us in Ruam Thai Village, Thailand, alongside Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, to explore the power of community-based conservation. 🏡🌿 ✨From Allie’s Perspective: "Arriving in Ruam Thai, I was welcomed by a resilient farming community working to live in harmony with Kui Buri’s wild elephants. Seeing firsthand how the Tom Yum Project supports farmers in growing crops like lemongrass and chili—plants that elephants avoid—was truly inspiring. This work protects livelihoods and elephants, proving coexistence is possible.” 🐝 Beehive Fences: "One of the most exciting innovations I saw was the use of beehive fences. Inspired by similar efforts with African elephants, these fences aim to deter elephants while providing a sweet secondary income from honey. It’s conservation in action!” 💚 A Reflection on Collaboration: "Conservation is about connection—between people, wildlife, and the planet. Witnessing the strength and creativity of this community reminded me that real change starts with building relationships.” We are so grateful for partners like SSA Group and Cincinnati Zoo, who share our commitment to a future where humans and elephants thrive together. 🌱🐘 📖 Read Allie’s full story on the blog: https://buff.ly/4ap7OEk #BringTheElephantHome #Conservation #Thailand #TomYumProject #CommunityBasedConservation #ElephantLove #Innovation #Coexistence