Rehabilitation and Sanctuary

HSI has been partnering with Wildlife SOS in India on a number of projects since 2005.

Elephants

We have supported the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre which rescues and provides a retirement sanctuary for working elephants in India, since its inception in 2010.

Wildlife SOS works with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department to rescue elephants who have suf

fere

d a lifetime of harsh treatment and often abuse. These animals get to live out their final years in peace, with medical treatme

nts and the freedom to roam the natural vegetation of the centre and

 bathe at will in the water pools.

There are currently 20 elephants being cared for by Wildlife SOS at the centre.

Sloth Bears

Wildlife SOS was the NGO that finally rescued every ‘dancing bear’ from the streets of India after many years of hard work and campaigning, and subsequently taking care of all of the bears in a number of sanctuaries across India. HSI is very proud to have contributed to SOS’s success in virtually stopping this tremendously cruel trade which also threatened the survival of sloth bears.

Anti-poaching

The illegal wildlife trade takes a terrible toll on a wide range of wildlife—from birds and small mammals bound for the exotic pet sector to skin and bones from endangered tigers, leopards and elephant ivory.

HSI also supports the dangerous and difficult work undertaken by Wildlife SOS’s Anti-Poaching Team, code named Forest Watch.

The team works through a large and complex network of informers gathering critical intelligence on wildlife criminals and the illegal trade of engendered animals and their body parts.

The team then works in collaboration with the Forest Department Police and other law enforcement agencies to catch and prosecute the criminals.

HSI is the sole supporter of the Friends of the National Parks Foundation’s Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre which cares for, rehabilitates and releases native endangered wildlife—most of which are victims of illegal trade fuelled by demand for exotic pets.

The situation is exacerbated by rampant deforestation taking place across Indonesia for palm oil and rubber plantations which is destroying critical wildlife habitat.

The rescue centre cares for more than 40 endangered primates and birds including gibbons, macaques, eagles, cockatoos and peacocks and is a permanent home for those birds and animals that are not able to be released back into the wild.

HSI also supports FNPF’s habitat restoration work in Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan Borneo, home to many endangered species including orangutans. The main project site of Pesalat was severely degraded by traditional slash and burn farming and overrun by an aggressive weed called imperata grass when the project commenced in 2000.

The reforestation work involves planting saplings followed by monitoring and maintenance which ensures a sapling survival rate of 73%. FNPF also works closely with the local community conducting fire patrols which helps ensure that fires do not spread into the park. We have been supporting FNPF’s work in Borneo since 2000.

In cooperation with the Born Free Foundation, HSI has been supporting the Zambia Primate Project (ZPP) since 2010. ZPP is one of Africa’s most established and successful primate release programs. Its mission is to rescue and rehabilitate injured, orphaned and illegally held vervet monkeys and yellow baboons for release back to the wild. Primate survival rate six months post release currently averages a remarkable 95%.

The great majority of primates that ZPP rescues are victims of the growing bush meat trade in Zambia. The mothers are slaughtered for their meat, and their babies sold into the illegal pet trade. As the babies grow and develop sharp canine teeth they are held captive using short, tight ropes tied around their waists and tormented and harassed by people and village dogs. Others are found injured in poachers’ wire snares or stoned when they come into conflict with people in the villages