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Now that we have most of what we need, we have been able to kick things into high gear. First load of steel delivered, cut and moved to location, the site is cleared and the pad has been prepared, and now the panels are being welded together for the first elephant care center. These are exciting days but we have no time to spare, and your help is urgently needed to keep things moving forward.

We knew from our first visit to Brazil that, “If you build it, they will come.” And in the past two weeks we have been approached and asked to accept several more elephants-both species. So although it is ridiculously amazing to have individuals and organizations essentially knocking on your door asking if you are interested in taking their elephants, it’s also brutally difficult because we have to say we can’t take them right now. This is where you come in; we can build the facility, we can provide an extraordinary life of sanctuary but they need your support.

Without sanctuary, these 8 elephants could end up moving to other zoos, from one bad situation to an equally unacceptable solution. We must add more people to our work crew and we need more materials, because quickly our expenses will surpass our fund raising.

Lucy at the Edmonton Zoo

It’s difficult for many of our US followers to fathom that elephants are literally waiting, without having to fight for years. As soon as we finish our first phase of construction, elephants will be arriving, followed by many, many more. In the US and in Europe we see efforts that have been going on for decades, fighting for the rights of elephants and pushing authorities to quite literally do their job. These efforts, many of which we actively support, are losing the battle and losing steam. We, as a global community fighting for the rights of elephants, need to regain the momentum. We need a win for elephants. Through their arrival and recovery, not only are we changing their lives profoundly but we will garner the evidence that will help demonstrate why all elephants need sanctuary.

We see people sitting back, waiting to see how our pilot project with Elephant Sanctuary Brazil will evolve. People want to donate to something more tangible, to the rescue of elephants, to feeding elephants and providing for their medical care. But, elephants need you today, to help us build their positive future. When I co-founded the sanctuary in Tennessee more than 20 years ago, we knew that it would take a while for people to see the full impact of sanctuary. Now we know and you know that sanctuary, true sanctuary is transformative beyond description. It’s life altering, it’s healing; it’s a new life for captive elephants.

This sanctuary is the real deal vast space, minimal human interference while maintaining necessary care of elephants, a level of respect, understanding and empathy that is rarely seen – Elephant Sanctuary Brazil will be a true sanctuary, one that offers elephants a life second to none. But none of it can exist without the support of individuals who say they want a better life for elephants. It’s up to you to make that happen.

Our Facebook page has over 13,000 supporters, if everyone was to give $10, we would reach our goal to finish the first phase of development and be able to start rescuing elephants-it’s that simple. If you can’t give $10, please share this blog. For a bigger impact, don’t just share it, forward it to some of your friends that you think would be willing to give up 2 nice Starbucks cups of coffee (something we can only dream about) to give elephants an amazing life. Help us create a life these elephants never even knew was possible before they slip through our fingers. We are so close, please help us create a safe haven for elephants throughout Latin America that deserve the same opportunity at sanctuary as elephants in North America. They can’t have it without your help.

You can help finish building their home by giving here, or if you prefer using PayPal, you can give here. Their future is in all of our hands-it’s time to change it for the better.