eLEFENCE INTERNATIONAL

Safeguarding people: safeguarding wildlife

Our MISSION

Elefence International is committed to helping resolve the human-wildlife conflict in Africa by protecting the endangered ecosystem that sustains both the local people and wild animals.

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RESTORE MALAWI FORESTS

ELEFENCE INITIATIVES

ELECTRIC FENCING

RESTORE ELEPHANTS TO THEIR NATURAL HABITAT

WATER WELL FUNDING

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ASSIST COMMUNITIES & SCHOOLS

PROTECT & PRESERVE FOREST RESERVES

SAFEGUARDING PEOPLE & SAFEGUARDING WILDLIFE

ZAMBIA

Elefence has partnered with the Chipembele Wildlife Education Center, South Luangwa National Park, and the Lower Zambezi Conservations Society.
In collaboration with Chipembele, Elefence has helped fund an elephant boma to secure and protect baby elephants that have been separated from their mothers due to poaching. Fencing has also been established surrounding the education center to deter baboons, monkeys, and other wildlife from entering the schools premises. Elefence has additionally provided new computers, books, and transportation to local students.
In addition, Elefence has provided assistance to the NGO’s overseeing the conservation and protection of two major Zambian National Parks, South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi. Elefennce received two grants from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for these specific African partnership projects. The assistance has included funding for construction of park ranger accommodation, anti-poaching equipment for the rangers, chili-pepper fencing, and educational literature support for schools.
MALAWI

Elefence has provided support and infrastructure within Malawian communities.
The building of electric fencing has provided education and jobs to locals. Local villagers are trained for fence maintenance, and only local villagers are employed to build the fencing. Additionally, Elefence has established a ranger rewards program as a means of recognizing their efforts and dangerous work.
Since the completion of electric fencing surrounding Thuma Forest Reserve, there has been zero human-elephant conflict within the Thuma local communities. Furthermore, there have been zero elephant fatalities in Thuma for the first time in history.
Elefence has further immersed itself within local communities by funding students’ tuitions, uniforms, books, and school supplies and the construction of boreholes for several fresh water wells for the community and forests.
ZIMBABWE

In Zimbabwe, Elefence has provided funding for the African Bush Camps Foundation and Hwange National Park. In conjunction with grants from SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, Elefence provided funding for a village borehole and well for elephants.
At Hwange National Park, funding has been provided for lion conservation including lion bomas. Food programs, electric lanterns, and a fruit orchard have also been provided to the locals of Mambanje Village, which lies on the edge of Hwange National Park.

OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH WILDLIFE ACTION GROUP (WAG)

ELEPHANT WARRIORS

WAG Rangers are the elephant warriors protecting the Thuma and Dedza Salmi Forest Reserves. The non-government organization and its rangers have been operating in the forest reserve for over ten years, and as a result of their patrolling, there has been an increase in the wildlife population, including elephants. When forests are not patrolled by anti-poaching rangers all wildlife is at risk
LYNN CLIFFORD

Lynn Clifford, the Field Manager of Wildlife Action Group has been instrumental in assisting Elefence in safeguarding people and wildlife. Since establishing her presence in Malawi in 2010, Clifford and her ranger force have accomplished incredible things. To date, they have increased the number of trained, professional scouts, doubled field patrols, removed countless snares which pose a threat not only to elephants but to all, and have caught armed poachers who later have been convicted and imprisoned.
Clifford’s work extends to the greater Malawian community. Locals are employed for labor in the construction of the solar fencing of the Thuma and Dedza Salmi Forest Reserves along with replanting trees throughout. Over 450 village men and women have been employed through phase one constructing electric fencing.
Additionally, she has implemented conservation education in the schools. New agricultural practices, small irrigation schemes for croplands, and alternative cooking stoves that do not burn wood have been introduced. In a remarkable turnaround of attitudes, the local people are encouraged to reverse the human damage caused by rampant tree cutting and charcoal burning. The village communities' attitudes toward wildlife preservation play a vital role in the long-term protection of elephants, and safeguarding the ecosystem which supports both people and wildlife.
ELECTRIC FENCING

WAG has built solar-powered electric fencing to safeguard wildlife and local communities. The fencing protects both the Thuma Forest Reserve and the Dedza Salima Forest Reserve, which are separated only by one river. This is a two-phase project. Elefence, in conjunction with WAG has successfully built solar electric fencing around Thuma Forest and is urgently seeking assistance with the completion of phase two, establishing electric fencing throughout the Dedza Salima Forest Reserve.
RANGER IN FORCE
Thuma & Dedza Fencing line
ACTIVE FENCE BUILDING

OUR PRESIDENT

At the impressionable age of 14 years, a teenage Dick Houston’s destiny was unknowingly set in motion, while viewing the film The Roots of Heaven in his hometown theater. An overriding theme in both the film and Houston’s life is that "it is not possible for a free man to catch a glimpse of the great elephant herds roaming the vast spaces of Africa without taking an oath to do whatever is necessary to preserve forever this living splendor. (Huston, J. (Director). (1958). The Roots of Heaven. 20TH Century Studios)”. Mr. Houston, who prefers to go by “Dick”, has made it his life’s mission to do just that. Since 1967, when he first made it to Africa, he has run overland safaris across thousands of miles of Africa's dusty tracks, crossing the Sahara sands, the Congo's primeval jungles, all while following elephant herds.

As years passed, so did more and more elephants, and thus EleFence was founded with the mission to safeguard both people and wildlife. When asked what the most important task for elephant conservation is today, Houston’s answer is one word: “Education. By teaching locals about wild places and wildlife, especially elephants, maintains ecosystems. As a result, you actively support villagers with conservation projects in the field to secure their day-to-day livelihoods. We can turn the tide to save the elephants and other wild animals. all begins with an idea”.

Meet the Team