<p style="font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">WALK TO CARE </span></span></strong></p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">454km - Kegalle to jaffna - 25 DAYS!</span></span></strong></p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We are currently in Sri Lanka coordinating the AWF Asian Elephant Project. We have collaborated with the mIllennium Elephant Foundation and want to support their amazing work and help develop this base into a global centre for Asian elephant conservation.</span></span></strong></p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We plan to walk 454km across Sri Lanka with an elephant named Pooja to raise awareness of the human-elephant conflict and to raise money to help build an enclosure for the elephants.<br></span></span></strong></p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We want the elephants at the MEF to have the best life possible. We are helping the MEF raise money to build an enclosure for them, allowing them to lead more natural lives and make their own decisions. The design will give the elephants approximately 325100 feet to roam around and allow them 24 hour access to the river. Within the enclosure the elephants are free to play, socialise and explore their environment. </span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The enclosure will cost over &pound;50,000! Please sponsor our Walk to Care to help us raise money for this project.</span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The walk will also raise awareness of the human-elephant conflict, today, one of the greatest threats to the Asian elephant. </span></span><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Last year, 200 elephants and 48 men were killed in Sri Lanka as a result of the human-elephant conflict (see: <a href="http://awfasianelephantproject.wordpress.com/the-asian-elephant/threats/">http://awfasianelephantproject.wordpress.com/the-asian-elephant/threats/</a>)</span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some estimates say that within 40 years the Asian elephant could be extinct in the wild! It is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.</span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Please dig deep &amp; sponsor our 454km walk &amp; help us raise funds for our project.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As an added incentive, we have composed a list of horrible tasks sent in by all our lovely friends. The task we have to complete will get worse depending on how much money is raised. To see this list of horrible deads, and how much more needs to be raise to move us up the ladder the the next nasty task, see: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/276087045797290/#!/events/375921205755729/">http://www.facebook.com/groups/276087045797290/#!/events/375921205755729/</a><br></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you all so much for your support! </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wayne &amp; Halina xxx<br></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The AWF Asian Elephant Project:</span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The AWF has collaborated with the Millennium Elephant Foundation in Sri Lanka.</span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our goal is to help make the MEF a centre for concern and action for Asian elephants across the world. The Asian Elephant is listed as endangered with some estimates putting it as less than 40 years before extinct in the wild. The African Elephant was saved from the brink of extinction in the late 1980s through concerted conservation effort and a similar energy is required now for its Asian cousins.</span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The MEF will be our base in Sri Lanka, where we hope to branch out across Asia to other projects working towards the conservation of the Asian elephant to form a conservation network, all working forwards the same goal.</span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Along side being a center for Asian elephant conservation, we see the collaboration as a focus for fundraising to save the species. Funds will be used in education, raising awareness, conservation, research, supporting and developing projects not only in Sri Lanka but throughout Asia. (we already have project proposals in Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia) </span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We will work alongside local communities, developing developing sustainable livelihoods for the better of people &amp; wildlife.</span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For more information on the project see the team page and our blog: <a href="www.asianelephantproject.org">www.asianelephantproject.org</a></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To support this project please dig deep &amp; help us make a difference.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To follow the progress of this project visit our blog:</span></span></p> <p><a href="http://awfasianelephantproject.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: Bradley Hand ITC TT;"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://awfasianelephantproject.wordpress.com/</span></span></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p> <p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p> <p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>