Dear John,
For thousands of years, humans viewed elephants not as sentient beings but as resources to conquer, control, and commodify. In the last 50 years, human understanding of elephants has deepened dramatically. Their cognitive, emotional, and social complexity is now well known, and more people are recognizing their need for freedom—and calling for it to be protected.
But the law still lags far behind, and the exploitative mentality toward elephants lives on—even in institutions that claim to care most about them. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the captive breeding of elephants in zoos, which unjustly strip elephants of their autonomy under the guise of conservation.
August 12th is World Elephant Day, widely celebrated not just by advocates for elephants’ freedom but also by the very institutions that take this freedom away. At the Nonhuman Rights Project, we’re celebrating World Elephant Month—with a focus on the injustice of captive breeding. This month-long educational, grassroots, and fundraising effort is an expansion of our 2023 and 2024 World Elephant Week campaigns. Over the next four weeks, we’ll share new stories, guest emails, resources, and advocacy actions as we aim to raise $25,000 to help fund our unique fight for elephants’ right to liberty.
Elephants need meaningful, lasting, and enforceable protection under the law, which the NhRP is tirelessly committed to securing. Will you help us reach our $25,000 goal this World Elephant Month by making a gift to the NhRP on day one of our campaign?
