About Stand Up for Elephants

Stand Up 4 Elephants is an NGO working in Chitwan. SU4E works for the welfare of captive elephants, their mahouts and the community in which we all live. In Nepal, working elephants work from 5am to 8pm with only a 1-hour break for lunch during the tourist season. 4 to 6 people ride them on seats that can weigh upwards of 150 kgs. Straps cause injuries on their back, under their tail and near forelegs and foot issues such as overgrown nails, abscesses and cracks, which are common.

Since 2014, SU4E has been providing free care for around 50 elephants in Chitwan/Sauraha, like foot care, vitamins and other supplements. It promotes best practices for all elephants, helps owners adopt ethical methods and also helps with costs to improve the shelters.

The whole community can contribute to protect a "keystone" species such as the Asian Elephant. Acting for the protection of an endangered species leads to increased awareness and sensitivity improving the chances for the protection of natural habitats and the conservation of all the species in the area.

SU4E puts the welfare of the animals FIRST. At its hattissar, the volunteers and staff help taking care of elephants’ daily needs, cut grass, get water, clean the shelter and contribute to daily maintenance and improvements of the camp. Staff and volunteers maintain elephants’ logs, review and analyze data from CCTV, educate guests visiting the camp and are spokespersons for SU4E. Volunteers stay on site and assist with the care and treatment of the elephants, according to their field of expertise as well as with construction and maintenance of facilities.

Partnerships with women, young entrepreneurs, artists and local businesses help the entire community. Village women receive work opportunity, greater financial autonomy and assistance in case of emergency. SU4E works directly with the community partnering with local organic farmers and young Nepali entrepreneurs, promoting empowerment of women and educating school students about elephants. It works with young people and schools furthering education related to elephants.

The launch of the ELEPHANT HAPPY HOUR in November 2017 offered ethical and sustainable option for elephant activity in Chitwan. Working elephants got a rare 1.15 hour respite from carrying tourists and offered a real break for elephants, free of saddle, tourists and commands during which they could graze freely in the forest, bath or scratch, while guests observed from a distance and enjoyed their moment of peace. In the first half of 2019, the number of Elephant Happy Hours had doubled resulting in over 250 Elephant Happy Hours and remains the #1 ranked outdoor activity on TripAdvisor for Chitwan.

Stand Up for Elephants helps rescue and shelter elephants in desperate need from the tourist riding industry, along with their mahouts and offers rights, health, and education related services. The elephants rescued by the Organization need 180 kg of food each per day. SU4E has established numerous partnerships with farmers in the community to provide fresh organic food for the elephants. Since the creation of SU4E Home, small producers using responsible and organic agriculture have been the primary source of food for elephants. SU4E motivates partners to adopt a more responsible way of producing. Providing food for captive elephants allows local producers to have a reliably fixed income and security for the future.

Eva is a young female aged around 35 years old. She gave rides to tourists, chained behind a hotel in a stressful and dirty environment. In 2018, she sustained injuries that limited her mobility, preventing her from working and was left chained and malnourished for months. Her past was presumably traumatic given her reputation as "highly dangerous." She was rescued by SU4E and responded quickly to medical treatment and training using ethical operant conditioning methods. She loves spending time in the pool and her favorite treats are watermelon and cucumber!

Lhamo is a female aged approximately 50 years old. She's spent the better part of her life chained, malnourished and overworked. She has been in Nepal for 10 years and has had at least one baby (whereabouts unknown). In 2019, she suffered serious eating problems causing her to lose a lot of weight. Lhamo came to live with SU4E at the end of 2020. She slowly recovered from old wounds, overgrown unkept nails and bonded quickly with Eva while exploring her new freedom becoming Eva's surrogate mother! Lhamo loves apples and pumpkins! And she also loves to scratch on trees and the special scratching posts in the enclosure of her new home.

About Spiny Babbler

BASICS
Named after a bird species considered extinct for 106 years and rediscovered in the Rara region by S. Dillon Ripley, Spiny Babbler works with the arts, education, and knowledge management. Its logo is that of a baman dwarf - also considered Barun, the water god - and is carved in stone under a stone water spout at the fourth century Gum Vihar complex northeast of Kathmandu. Throughout its existence, Spiny Babbler has invested significant emotion, intellect, and financial resource into its work and tried to deliver the best and finest to the institutions, individuals, and products that it works with. Pallav Ranjan founded Spiny Babbler in 1991 and leads its 3 legal entities.

STRUCTURE

1. A not-for-profit (incorporated 4 September 2004) works to make positive impact on human life through the use of the arts, education, and communication. It is registered with ward no. 15 of Kathmandu Municipality, District Development Committee and the District Administration Office (registration number 79/061/62); Inland Revenue Department (PAN number 302-141-087); and Social Welfare Council (affiliation number 16651).
2. An education bionetwork (incorporated 30 December 1983) offers specialty education through high school, preschool, and club. Students from around the world, the best schools of Nepal, as well as those who are deprived take advantage of the education offered through short- and long-term involvement. It is registered with ward no. 2 of Lalitpur sub-municipality (registration number 598/2cha), Department of Education (code number 25-207-0073), Inland Revenue Department (PAN 302-539-800), and the Company Registrar's Office (registration number 21002).
3. Outreach and Communication Center (incorporated 18 December 2003) offers professional documentation, knowledge management and outreach material packaging services in the content, print, web, and full HD film media to international development organizations in Nepal. It is registered at ward no. 15 of Kathmandu Municipality, Inland Revenue Department (PAN 302-539-800), and the Company Registrar's Office (registration number 26352).

SPREAD
Spiny Babbler efforts in the arts, education, and communication have spanned across six continents and reached deep into some of the most remote areas of Nepal. It has crossed the gender, ethnic, economic, education, creative, and technical divides and its work has been effective, inclusive, and appreciated.

• Global and local spread:
  People from more than 14 countries have engaged locally in our event, project, and program offerings for at least a month or more. Citizens of Scotland, UK, Japan, China, Laos, Bangladesh, USA, Switzerland, Canada, Netherlands, France, and Nepal have been involved. Schools from 20 nations including Iran to deep China contributed to our effort in mountain environment education. 22 universities in the Australasian region and their creative writing departments collaborated with Spiny Babbler. 100+ leading poets, including 10 Nobel laureates contributed to our efforts. In Nepal people from Dhanusha, Morang, Parsa, Chitwan, Banke, Bardia as well as Dadeldhura, Surkhet, Tetang (Upper Mustang), Thudam (far east), Ilam have been a part of our programs and events. The finest of writers, artists, musicians, creators, doctors, development and social workers and administrators have been involved.


• Across the economic divide:
  Young people who study at Lincoln School, the British School, Rato Bangala, St. Xavier's, St. Mary's, Ullens, Shuvatara and other educational establishments have benefitted from the creative, academic, and entertainment opportunities offered by Spiny Babbler. People with less resources from communities such as Sankhu, Taudaha, and Thaiba; 150+ schools of which many were public and government; people at risk in Kanti Children's Hospital, Lagankhel Mental Hospital, Thapathali Prashuti Griha (Maternity Hospital); and shelter homes for children from the street, girls at risk, children of prison inmates have been engaged. St. Xavier's 50th anniversary (golden jubilee) saw Spiny Babbler's extensive involvement and a keynote speech by founder Pallav Ranjan. Spiny Babbler was invited to speak at St. Xavier's College's 25th anniversary (silver jubilee) celebrations. Search for Common Ground, ICIMOD, ILO, ADRA, GIZ, World Vision, SNV, Save the Children and various United Nations programs have been supported through products and projects.


• Quarter of century's experience:
  Gender, specially-abled, ethnic, or the other marginalized, Spiny Babbler has reached across divides and works in a humanized, individualized, customized, and specialized manner. Spiny Babbler helped Save the Children come up with a program for the health and life of under 5 year olds. With UNDP, it prepared the pre-Beijing Conference gender manual. It helped UNICEF ROSA, the regional body, prepare the earliest of violence against women and girls guidelines. It worked with ICIMOD to prepare a publication on women of the Hindu-Kush Himalayas based on a workshop that involved 270 women from 6 nations. It has 25 years of experience in the arts, education, and communication.


• Creative and technical:
  Spiny Babbler has been celebrated for creativity by national and international critics including prime ministers, mayors, artists, writers, and social leaders. Technically explorative, its website at www.spinybabbler.com (later www.spinybabbler.org) was one of the earliest in Nepal in 1996 and was the only one to receive five stars in a Nepali Times review of sites. It was featured by BBC radio's international broadcast. Spiny Babbler came out with the first of 3D products in 2001 and prepared a 30 minute 3D computer generated imaging and traditional video combination for UNICEF. It was also among the earliest organizations to work with a centralized and networked computer systems and backed-up data technology. Lain Singh Bangdel, Mohan Koirala, Madhav Ghimmire, Shashi Shah and the finest of creators of Nepal have been involved.