Azzedine Downes

President / CEO, International Fund For Animal Welfare

“There are few animals that so vividly capture the imagination as the iconic elephant. Perhaps even more moving than its massive size or its surprising grace are the parallels this species shares with our own social make-up. Through the tightly-knit structure of the elephant community or the palpable and protective bond between parents and their calves, elephants reflect what is most wondrous about nature itself.

A welling up of emotion is often unexpected and uncontrollable during a personal interaction with these unique creatures. For me, when a young rescued elephant saw me observing her from afar and came running to me, not me running to her, and smelled me and wanted to smell my breath as I blew gently into her little trunk, my life changed.

The complex struggle for survival of the elephant also represents one of the greatest conservation challenges of our time, where, through the act of saving this species, we undoubtedly take a step towards saving our own as well.”

Photo by Donal Boyd