AFRICAN ELEPHANTS AT HOWLETTS
© Howletts Wild Animal Park
SOUNDI , A BABY GORILLA AT HOWLETTS
Howletts ( www . aspinallfoundation . org / howletts ) is the award-winning older sister of Port Lympne . Founded by John Aspinall in 1958 and opened to the public in 1975 , the charity has been going from strength to strength ever since , and is now a leading animal conservation charity whose advance captive breeding programs , along with their aims to reintroduce as many animals as possible back into their natural wild habitats , has made their conservation efforts known country-wide . There are of course a whole host of rare , endangered animals that call the park home , including adorable clouded leopards , amur tigers and red bellied lemurs . This year , Howletts is quite literally taking on its largest ever conservation challenge : flying 13 elephants – weighing 25 tonnes – more than 7,000 km across the globe to return individuals from this iconic species to their ancestral homelands , the first time that a herd of elephants has ever been rewilded anywhere in the world !
The Aspinall Foundation will work with The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Kenya Wildlife Service to rewild an entire breeding herd of 13 African elephants , including 3 calves , from their current home in an eight-acre enclosure at Howletts . Whilst formed of two interrelated families , the hope is that the breeding herd , one of the most successful in Europe , will be rewilded as one larger herd , through the project that is underpinned by The Aspinall Foundation ’ s belief that these animals belong in the wild , and that no elephants belong in captivity .
The general public can get involved in supporting this world-first endeavour by donating through the project ' s dedicated JustGiving page . All funds raised will go to help transport the elephants safely to Kenya and to help them transition to their new lives in the wild once they are there .
The Aspinall Foundation also hopes that this rewilding project will stimulate a positive effect in the zoo industry by discouraging the trade in elephants globally and strengthening commitments to return animals back to the wild , wherever possible .
When asked about the project , Damian Aspinall , chairman of The Aspinall Foundation , said : “ This is an incredibly exciting project and a genuine world-first . As with any conservation project of this magnitude , there are obviously big risks , but we consider them well worth it to get these magnificent elephants back into the wild where they belong .
“ By supporting the project , members of the public will be part of conservation history , helping to restore an iconic species to its ancestral homeland .
“ If this is successful , I would love to see elephants held in captivity all over the world being rewilded too .”
Enjoying a day out at Howletts may sound like the perfect day-trip to enjoy some fun with the family , while marvelling at some of the most incredible animals in the world . But the great news is that your visit also helps the centre work towards their conservation goals , helping animals who live at the park and also helping fund desperately necessary overseas projects . Speaking to Howletts they revealed that ; ‘ Thanks to the generosity of visitors … we – in conjunction with The Aspinall Foundation – have released more than 70 gorillas back to the wild and our released gorillas have had over 35 wild births . We have also transferred 8 black rhinos from our Kent parks to Africa , who have produced 25 offspring between them .’ These astonishing numbers are a testament to the amazing things conservation can do , and the best thing is we can all get involved ! Simply snap up a ticket to Howletts for £ 23.50 , and enjoy a oneof-a-kind day .
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