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Amount Raised
Help Reach Our Goal!
The more funds we raise, the more cameras we can install! Please help us continue to provide a great learning experience watching our elephants living free in a natural habitat by donating to our EleCam Expansion Campaign. Join the effort and let your friends know they can contribute to this valuable educational tool!
If you have been following Bo and Tarra, and Mundi's adventures via our EleCam live stream, you have no doubt seen the three explore Elephant Refuge North America's (ERNA) natural habitat, Tarra share her wilderness savvy, Bo provide companionship that Tarra has never before experienced, and Mundi, for the first time in 35 years, bathe in the mud, scratch her body on trees, and interact with other elephants.
Being in southernmost Georgia means the elephants are outside almost every day of the year, with Bo and Tarra roaming throughout the 850 acres while Mundi explores the introductory 7-acre habitat near the barn. We are so excited for these friends to explore all the wonders of the refuge. However, with all of this space, we need more cameras and internet cable to expand the EleCam live stream.
Collectively, we can pool resources to continue watching and learning about Bo, Tarra, and Mundi's developing relationships. Every donation, no matter the size, helps and is greatly appreciated.
Mundi is a mud diva and introduced both Tarra and Bo to the wonderful world of mud.
EleCam Expansion
Funds from the EleCam Expansion Campaign will be used to support installation of more cameras for a reliable communication system throughout our 850-acre habitat, which will include:
- live-streaming video to monitor the activity and behavior of resident elephants
- reliable internet connectivity so we can provide online educational opportunities for schools and organizations
- uninterrupted live feed video for public education and noninvasive research
EleCam Critical for Behavior Monitoring
With 850 acres of area to explore, we are challenged to monitor Bo, Tarra, and Mundi’s behavior in real time 24/7. We make personal visits several times each day and night to deliver food and have access to still shots from trail cameras. But the Elecam system gives us the ability to view the elephants non-intrusively, giving us a complete and accurate picture of how they are using the habitat and relating to each other.
Our ability to monitor the elephants with this system consisting of field cameras powered by fiber optic cable and wifi connectivity, to locate them for vet care and supplemental feedings and unobtrusively monitor their continued rehabilitation and relationship building, is just another key to providing excellent care. Observing what they are eating, where they are sleeping, when they drink, how much time they are spending together, and how their interpersonal relationships are progressing informs our approach to their care.
EleCam Benefits for Research and Education
In addition to enabling caregivers to monitor the elephants in real time, the camera system will collect and store data to be used by us and others for noninvasive research on elephant behavior and rehabilitation. The live stream will be viewed online by researchers, elephant enthusiasts, and any interested party, increasing public awareness about the needs of these highly intelligent, social, and complex wild animals who suffer greatly in traditional captive environments.
What is the EleCam system?
At the Refuge, the needs of our elephants come first. We are not open to the public, and our volunteers have no physical interaction with the elephants.
At the same time, we know it's a great learning experience to watch elephants being elephants in a natural habitat.
That's why we have our EleCam: so you can watch our elephants (and their canine companions) unobtrusively as they go about their daily lives.
High-definition cameras that auto-track movement; tilt, pan, zoom, follow objects; and rotate 360 degrees are strategically located throughout the refuge. They even have night vision, so you can check on Bo, Tarra, and Mundi after dark and watch them stroll under the stars.
