By Sangita Iyer | Founder & Managing Director
For the past four years, Voices for Asian Elephants (VFAE) has been working hand in hand with our grassroots partner, Paribartan, and the tribal communities living on the forest fringes of Odisha to reclaim and restore what once belonged to the elephants—their ancestral corridors. In a remote village near the Pallahara Forest Range, our team has identified a 100-acre patch of unused farmland that elephants have traversed for generations. So far, we have secured 41 acres and rewilded 16 of those acres with elephant-friendly saplings, thanks to the generosity of private donors and foundations. But much remains to be done. Each day that passes without action, elephants continue to perish from electrocution—victims of illegal high-voltage fences and neglected, sagging power lines that turn their home into a death trap.
According to the latest elephant census released in mid-October 2025, India has witnessed a staggering 25% decline in its elephant population since 2017. With fewer than 40,000 left in the wild, and only about 22,500 in India, the nation remains their final refuge. Yet even here, their future is slipping away. In Odisha alone, where nearly 1,800 elephants once roamed, 784 have died in the past decade—an average of 86 every year— largely from human-related causes. The state’s elephant population has plummeted from 1,095 to just 912 in two years. Forests that once echoed with the low rumbles of these gentle giants have fallen silent, fragmented by mining, railways, and farmland. Each electrocution, each carcass found, is not merely a number—it is the loss of an entire family, as elephants, like humans, mourn their dead.
Through our Securing and Rewilding Corridors for Odisha Elephants initiative, VFAE is determined to restore hope where despair has taken root. Our goal is to acquire and rewild the remaining 59 acres, transforming this land into a legally protected elephant sanctuary held by Paribartan. Over 200 tribal people, including women, are already employed in this mission—planting native fruit-bearing trees, building waterholes, and forming youth-led “Ele-Clubs” to watch over the herds and foster coexistence. Together, we are healing both the land and its people. By reconnecting these fragmented forests, we can give elephants safe passage, give forests a chance to regenerate, and give humanity a chance to atone. We invite each and every one of you to join our movement in completing this living wild sanctuary—a beacon of compassion, resilience, and shared survival for generations yet to come.
We couldn't do this work without your generosity and kindless!!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your ongoing support!
Sincerely,
Sangita
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By Sangita Iyer | Project Leader
By Sangita Iyer | Project Leader
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