The CEO Magazine Europe – June 2016

Saving the elephants

It’s heartening to see that in today’s business world more and more executives and CEOs are giving back some of what their companies earn to those less fortunate than themselves, and to charities and organisations that mean something to them. And when it comes to travel, increasingly more people of all ages are becoming interested in ‘voluntourism’, which essentially offers travellers a more meaningful and authentic travel experience. In fact, voluntourism is positively booming, and travel companies all over the world are adding journeys to their offerings that put their clients on a path to giving back while exploring this amazing world.

So it made sense for us to introduce into our Lifestyle section travel articles to inspire those after more than just a luxurious escape, and instead journeys that can actually make a difference to the world at large. The first story off the ranks is on pages 122–126 and it is about saving the severely emaciated elephants in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.

Due to a lack of water and such harsh conditions in Zimbabwe’s dry season, a system of pumping water from the earth was introduced so that the elephants wouldn’t die of thirst and of hunger, as the water also obviously helps with the growth of flora that they can eat. The water bores essentially filled the waterholes so that the elephants would stay within the sanctuary and thus not be poached for their ivory.

However, sadly, what started out as a good idea is now something that is hard to continue, as the costs of continually pumping out water are high, and it’s not a sustainable solution. The elephants, safe from poaching and with enough water to drink and bathe in, have multiplied (there are now 50,000 elephants in an area that is half the size of Belgium), but there is not enough food and water for them to be fit and healthy. They are dying. The water cannot be turned off, as the elephants would die sooner, but the operation is so costly that the future is far from bright.

So our hope here at The CEO Magazine is that someone reading this letter might be able to help the elephants of Hwange National Park. There may be some way, with the right bright minds put together, that a solution can be found and these great creatures might be saved.

Now, that would be something to cheer about.

Drop us a line anytime—we love hearing from you.

Michelle Hespe