Absolute Travel
“My team and I cannot imagine a world without elephants. We are proud to do our part alongside other industry leaders to give these compassionate creatures a voice during one of their darkest times."
New York, New York (PRWEB) January 15, 2014
The S.A.F.E. campaign aims to build awareness of the crisis and provide essential support to selected field-based organizations working tirelessly to protect elephant populations.
Poaching levels of elephants in Africa have continued to escalate, with tens of thousands killed annually in Africa. At the current rate they are being killed, elephants risk extinction as early as 2025.
With 53 million tourists traveling to Africa in 2012, the loss of elephants has a tremendous impact on the global tourism industry and Africa’s economy. In most African countries, tourism is a major source of earnings and millions of people risk losing their livelihoods. With no wildlife to view, travelers will disappear. As a keystone species, elephants play a critical role in the ecosystem and biodiversity of Africa and without them, ecosystems could cease to exist. Travel leaders all over the world recognize all the implications of this crisis and need to take action immediately.
Absolute Travel president and founder Ken Fish explained, “My team and I cannot imagine a world without elephants. We are proud to do our part alongside other industry leaders to give these compassionate creatures a voice during one of their darkest times. As a partner of The Bodhi Tree Foundation’s S.A.F.E campaign, we are able to provide a bigger voice to the global community about this crisis and give our partners and travelers tangible ways that, together, we can turn this around.”
“We are thrilled to see the reception among companies when we approached them about this initiative and how many were eager to partner with us on this collective effort.” States Jena Gardner, President and Co-Founder of The Bodhi Tree Foundation. “NOW is the time for our industry to unite and lend their support to the wonderful organizations working in the field to protect elephants. We are extremely grateful to have such an impressive roster of committed companies such as Absolute Travel involved in the SAFE Campaign and encourage others to join so we can make the most impact.”
100% of all donations to S.A.F.E. will fund beneficiaries’ fieldwork and projects specifically designed to preserve the African Elephant. S.A.F.E. is partnering with the following esteemed organizations: African Wildlife Foundation, The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Save The Elephants, and WildAid, chosen for their pioneering work.
Visit saveafricaselephants.org for more information about the campaign and how to get involved.
About The Bodhi Tree Foundation
The Bodhi Tree Foundation, a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is dedicated to mobilizing travelers and the tourism industry to aid travel sustainability causes around the world. Founded in 2008 by philanthropy-minded business leaders whose lives have been changed by travel, The Bodhi Tree Foundation is proud to spearhead the launch of the S.A.F.E. campaign to help protect Africa’s elephants.
About Absolute Travel
Absolute Travel is an award-winning luxury travel company that creates private luxury journeys in Asia, Africa, South Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and India & the Himalayas. Absolute Travel’s team of luxury travel specialists’ in-depth knowledge, insider access, unsurpassed service, on-the-ground spontaneity, and passion for sharing the best of what the world has to offer result in once-in-a-lifetime journeys that have inspired travelers for decades. In 2013 Travel + Leisure readers and travelers named Absolute Travel the #1 World’s Best Tour Operator, earning the high-end travel company the ultimate accolade.
Contact: Absolute Travel, Katie Losey Battle, absolutetravel.com
