The African elephant is under enormous threat due to ivory poaching and one elephant is lost every fifteen minutes of every day.  Experts calculate that there are less than 400 000 African elephants left and fear that this majestic species will be extinct by 2030! As part of their commitment to protect the African elephant, Amarula has joined forces with Kenyan conservation organisation WildlifeDirect and their CEO Dr Paula Kahumbu to launch a global awareness campaign.

Join Amarula’s Name Them, Save Them by watching the extraordinary video and naming the surviving elephants.  The inspiring short film was shot with Dr Kahumbu on location in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background. Meet the elephants as she introduces them by name, watch their behaviour in their natural habitat and discover the similar traits shared by people and elephants.

The campaign creates an opportunity for viewers to become active participants in preserving the African elephant by casting a spotlight on the problem with their friends and family.  An immersive online experience will guide visitors into a virtual digital savannah, where they can choose an elephant, design it with a range of colourful patterns, then name and share it with friends online. “The world needs to know that the only way to get ivory is to kill an elephant!” Dr Kahumbu reiterates, “Once you know them by name, you would never dream of hurting them.”

“The African elephant is an integral part of our African heritage and culture.  Just like humans, each elephant is an individual with a unique personality.  We share many similarities with elephants.  They are intelligent, emotional and have a strong sense of family – just like us. This campaign is about creating a connection between us and elephants and becoming actively involved in raising awareness and saving our elephants. By getting to know elephants by name, we want people to realise that they are more important than an ivory trinket.  They say an elephant never forgets, but now they need us to remember them,” says Dr Paula Kahumbu.

Amarula will donate 1 USD to WildlifeDirect for every elephant named and shared per unique user.  As an authentically African brand, Amarula has been committed to the protection of the African elephant since 2002 and has donated 642 000 USD to the cause over this period.

 

“Awareness created by this campaign, combined with the expertise of Dr Paula Kahumbu and the WildlifeDirect team, will help us continue to protect the continent’s elephants that are such an important part of Africa’s heritage and Amarula’s story,” says Dino D’Araujo,  Amarula Global General Manager.

 

“Our objective is simple – to make sure that for generations to come, we continue to meet the elephants beneath the Marula trees.”