Addo Elephant National Park Update: You Helped Us Bring Critical Water Supplies to Elephants and Other Wildlife in South Africa

4 August 2022
Climate change

Through your support, Animal Survival International (ASI) has managed to provide elephants and other wildlife roaming the Addo Elephant National Park with their most urgent need: water.

Addo is situated in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, which is battling its worst drought in 100 years. Facing a particularly severe lack of water in Darlington, the northern-most part of the park, elephants were seen desperately scouring the area for water, only to stumble upon empty waterholes and bone-dry riverbeds when they attempted to dig.

We rushed a team to the region to investigate and find urgent solutions. Fortunately, we found that there was an immense water reservoir lying deep beneath the surface. Drilling down 115 feet (35 meters) meant that we could provide Addo’s animals with as much as 1,320 gallons (5,000 liters) of water an hour. But we needed to obtain costly state-of-the-art equipment in order to access this water…

Water reservoir lying deep beneath the surface. — Fortunately, we found that there was an immense water reservoir lying deep beneath the surface.

With your help, we were able to rush emergency funding to Addo so that they could purchase two solar-powered water pumps. The pumps have now been installed, and as you read these words, life-saving water is flowing once more.

With two of the area’s waterholes now filled to the brim, we have received word from Addo that Darlington’s wildlife is taking full advantage of the flowing water now at their disposal. The success of this project is of particular importance to us given our – and YOUR – direct involvement in the 2018 relocation of the 28-strong elephant family who now reside in Darlington. The family was named the “Davies herd” after our founders, Brian and Gloria Davies.

African savanna elephant populations have dwindled by at least 60% over the last 50 years. They are now listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. ASI is committed to doing everything in our power to protect and preserve these precious creatures, and we thank you for standing with us on our latest campaign for their survival.