1. Please spread the word!

You can contribute towards a kinder future for elephants by writing letters or Op-Eds to your local newspaper, by getting a journalist interested in the elephant situation, by blogging, by signing a petition or by communicating with decisionmakers. Still at school? Write and share a report, an essay or a poem about elephants!

You will do elephants and ElephantVoices a big favour if you share your interest in elephants and our work with friends and followers on social networks or Twitter. Visit us on Facebook, invite your friends to visit, and put an ElephantVoices Fan Badge on your website or blog! You are of course welcome to link ElephantVoices content.

It is an extra challenge to attract those who may not know enough to realize that most elephants in captivity are living a life in misery - and that elephants in the wild need protection - we need your help to change our collective conscience! You'll find most arguments related to elephant interests here on ElephantVoices and via The Elephant Charter - thank you for caring!

2. Don't attend circuses that exhibit elephants

You can make life better for elephants by boycotting circuses that use animals, and by appealing to others to do the same. The nature of circuses creates an unbearable setting for animals in general and for elephants in particular.

You may want to visit ElephantVoices' section about Elephant Interests.

3. Don't go on an elephant-back safari

Elephant-back safaris often rely on capturing elephants from the wild which involves the brutal abduction of a juvenile or calf from its family. Training elephants to do what its handlers want, when they want it - means training using a bullhook and other instruments as well as long periods of chaining.

By riding on elephant-back you are supporting this trade. You may believe that elephants available for rides enjoy what they are doing, but in reality this is a business based on unacceptable methods and abuse. Read more here.

4. Be an eco-tourist

Finding ways for people and free-ranging elephants to live in harmony is a major challenge. Positive attitudes toward the presence of elephants is more likely where local communities benefit through tourism.

In this context eco-tourism based on proper respect for nature and local culture can be an important contributor toward the conservation of elephants and other wildlife.

5. Don't wear ivory - help in stopping the trade!

Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed annually to supply a booming illegal trade in ivory. If people stopped buying ivory elephants would not be killed for their tusks. Express your view to others that only elephants should wear ivory and that there should be no trade in elephant tusks. This is even more important if you have influential friends or contacts in relevant decision-making positions! Feel free to use the animated message to the right on your own blog, just "Save Image As...".

Most nations (169) are signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, and every two and a half years when the Convention meets, the topic of whether to allow the sale of elephant products (mainly ivory) is up for discussion. Visit Elephants killed for ivory if you want to know more. The next meeting in CITES takes place in Doha in March 2010 - make your opinion known!

6. Support elephant conservation efforts

Another way to help elephants is to give your support to those institutions, organizations, projects and individuals who work to better understand, conserve and protect elephants, whether this be through applied conservation, education, advocacy or basic research. The Internet is a good source of information on the types of projects that are being undertaken across Africa and Asia.

Many projects provide facilities to donate online, including ElephantVoices. Every little bit counts. If everyone who cared gave just $10 a month to their favourite elephant charity, think what a difference it could make.

7. Support efforts that will improve the lives of elephants in zoos

The vast majority of captive elephants experience circumstances far below what they need to live a decent life. Fortunately, more and more people are aware that this is so, and are challenging the status quo. As a result, we are beginning to feel the "winds of change". Some debates are so heated that the elephants may feel the rumblings, too!

The zoo industry is questioning age-old practices and exploring new ways to allow elephants to be elephants. Zoos have a very long way to go, however, and you can make a difference by encouraging them not to keep elephants where cold winters necessitate that they be indoors, where there is insufficient space to allow elephants to live in social groups, and where the management style relies on bullhooks and chaining. We appreciate those zoos that support real conservation projects in elephant range states, but breeding elephants in captivity has nothing to do with conservation. You may want to visit our FAQ about elephants in captivity.

8. Ensure that your local zoo does not import elephants from the wild

Because zoos don't have the space to allow elephants the lifestyle they are adapted for, they neither reproduce nor survive well in captivity. It is a disturbing fact that the list of dead zoo elephants gets longer by the day. The result is that the number of elephants in captivity in the United States and in Europe is in decline. There is growing incentive for zoos to try to acquire more elephants from Africa or Asia.

You can help to ensure that elephants are not taken from the wild by making sure that your local zoo does not obtain its elephants from any of the elephant range state. Instead demand that your zoo phase out its elephant exhibit or build a sanctuary sized enclosure where elephants can lead a more normal existence.