Animal Welfare India Project #52013

Securing Rewilding Corridors for Odisha Elephants

by Voices for Asian Elephants

Project Report | Feb 10, 2026
From Farmland to Sanctuary: Join Me on A Special Journey to India

By Sangita Iyer | Founder & Managing Director

Elephant Footprint Speak Stories of Their Return

Dear [First Name],

I am preparing to travel to India for an extraordinary moment—and I wanted you to be among the first to hear about it.

We are about to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for a 52-acre plot of farmland in Odisha, which we have secured as a safe corridor for elephants. This land will reconnect two fragmented forest patches, giving elephants a vital route to migrate freely and safely. Your support has made this possible, and I will not only be witnessing this historic transformation firsthand, but will also be bringing you all the juicy details.

Already, our restoration efforts are bearing fruit. More than 40 elephants, including young calves, have begun returning to this region (images of footprints attached; we never chase/ harrass elephants to gather images or videos). As we expand and nurture the corridor, we expect many more elephants to reclaim their ancestral lands, finding sanctuary in what is becoming a living corridor of hope.

Across Odisha, our work continues on multiple fronts. We have planted over 100,000 elephant-friendly, fruit-bearing saplings across the forest ranges of Pallahara, Balasore, and Susab. Hundreds of Indigenous and tribal community members are employed—especially women—are actively engaged in planting and caring for these young forests, while men have helped create nine permanent waterholes, providing year-round relief for elephants and other wildlife, while also providing these tribal communities with livelihoods and sustenance. These nine oases are already attracting elephants back, offering refuge from the heat and restoring ecological balance.

Traveling from the central Indian state of Odisha to the southern Indian state of Kerala, during the upcoming festival season, I will also be unveiling two life-size robotic elephants in two prominent temples, aiming to replace live captive elephants in cultural parades. This initiative directly challenges the exploitation of elephants (for profit) in the name of culture and religion. No religious scripture—of any faith—calls for animals to suffer to appease the divine. Yet the reality remains grim: in 2025 alone, 20 elephants have died in Kerala. Elephants deserve to roam wild, not remain shackled amid noise, crowds, and terror.

To carry forward the progress we’ve made—and ensure that we can continue to expand these corridors—I make a heartfelt appeal for your ongoing support for this sacred work. Your generosity directly enables the rewilding of habitats and the protection of migration routes essential for elephant survival. If you are inspired to make a monthly donation, CLICK HERE to contribute $25 or $30 or any amount that you can spare. The good news is, it will be matched by GlobalGiving after four months of recurring donations.

Finally, our 2025 Annual Report is now available on our website. It details our projects, donor impact, and financial transparency—including a breakdown showing just over 26% of funds allocated to administration and salaries, ensuring the majority of resources go directly to programs on the ground. CLICK HERE for our 2025 Annual Report.

We could not do this work without the collective power of your support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping elephants not merely survive—but, with your continued generosity, truly thrive in the years ahead.

As I prepare for this journey, I carry your generosity and trust with me every step of the way.

With deep gratitude,
Sangita Iyer
Founder & Managing Director
Voices for Asian Elephants

Around 40 Elephants have Reclaimed their Lost Land

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Oct 20, 2025
Exciting News! Rewilding 41-Acres of Farmland

By Sangita Iyer | Founder & Managing Director

For the past four years, Voices for Asian Elephants (VFAE) has been working hand in hand with our grassroots partner, Paribartan, and the tribal communities living on the forest fringes of Odisha to reclaim and restore what once belonged to the elephants—their ancestral corridors. In a remote village near the Pallahara Forest Range, our team has identified a 100-acre patch of unused farmland that elephants have traversed for generations. So far, we have secured 41 acres and rewilded 16 of those acres with elephant-friendly saplings, thanks to the generosity of private donors and foundations. But much remains to be done. Each day that passes without action, elephants continue to perish from electrocution—victims of illegal high-voltage fences and neglected, sagging power lines that turn their home into a death trap.

According to the latest elephant census released in mid-October 2025, India has witnessed a staggering 25% decline in its elephant population since 2017. With fewer than 40,000 left in the wild, and only about 22,500 in India, the nation remains their final refuge. Yet even here, their future is slipping away. In Odisha alone, where nearly 1,800 elephants once roamed, 784 have died in the past decade—an average of 86 every year— largely from human-related causes. The state’s elephant population has plummeted from 1,095 to just 912 in two years. Forests that once echoed with the low rumbles of these gentle giants have fallen silent, fragmented by mining, railways, and farmland. Each electrocution, each carcass found, is not merely a number—it is the loss of an entire family, as elephants, like humans, mourn their dead.

Through our Securing and Rewilding Corridors for Odisha Elephants initiative, VFAE is determined to restore hope where despair has taken root. Our goal is to acquire and rewild the remaining 59 acres, transforming this land into a legally protected elephant sanctuary held by Paribartan. Over 200 tribal people, including women, are already employed in this mission—planting native fruit-bearing trees, building waterholes, and forming youth-led “Ele-Clubs” to watch over the herds and foster coexistence. Together, we are healing both the land and its people. By reconnecting these fragmented forests, we can give elephants safe passage, give forests a chance to regenerate, and give humanity a chance to atone. We invite each and every one of you to join our movement in completing this living wild sanctuary—a beacon of compassion, resilience, and shared survival for generations yet to come.

We couldn't do this work without your generosity and kindless!!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your ongoing support!

Sincerely,

Sangita

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Nov 18, 2021
Because of Your Generosity We are Fully Funded!

By Sangita Iyer | Project Leader

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