Some of my most treasured moments on Earth have been alongside African elephants.

They're charming, graceful, stoic, expressive—physically so different from us humans, but in character, almost like a mirror. Elephants are also known to be deeply emotional, capable of empathy, joy, compassion, and grief. But despite the similarities connecting us, it is difficult to swallow the truth that humans are the greatest threat to wild elephants' survival. Between poaching for their ivory tusks, habitat destruction, and human encroachment leading to deadly conflicts, populations of all three species—savanna elephants, forest elephants, and Asian elephants have decreased dramatically. African elephant populations in particular have declined 30 percent since 2006. Thankfully conservation efforts are dedicated to changing this relationship to one that values living, thriving elephants. These efforts include educating consumers of ivory on the deadly impact of the illegal trade, and support for rangers on the ground who risk their lives daily to protect elephants. 

As a National Geographic Explorer, Tara was commissioned by National Geographic to create this educational elephant content for use across their social platforms. Enjoy the video below:

A portion of the proceeds from each archival print will go directly to funding a locally-run elephant conservation initiative in Africa.