FIVE years ago in India, Dag Goering locked eyes with a mother elephant whose baby he was treating - an experience that he claims changed his life.
"I could sense this real magic. . . . You could tell you were up-close with a sentient being," said the Victoriabased veterinarian and photographer.
Since that time, Goering and his wife Maria Coffey have been dedicated to learning more about the giant creatures and their welfare. The couple will be sharing their journey into the world of elephants at Elephants and Other Adventures, a multimedia show and fundraiser in West Vancouver next week.
Goering and Coffey started a travel company, Hidden Places, 12 years ago, that offers off-the-beaten-path trips around the world. Their business has helped them launch the Elephant Earth Initiative, which supports elephant conservation by funding grassroots organizations around the world.
"We've become really inspired by this idea of a social environmental enterprise. The idea that a company is not just about making money and making a profit, but also making a difference in the world," said Goering.
They're currently promoting an anti-poaching project to support elephants in a 90,000-hectare forested area of the Kirisia Hills in northern Kenya, where the ivory trade is a huge threat.
Locals in the area have started a community forestry association, with the hopes of hiring rangers to guard the refuge from poachers and loggers. According to Goering, a little bit of money will go a long way towards making this project a success - $10 will protect half a square mile of land for one year.
The project is also important because it involves those who live alongside wild elephants, explained Goering.
"In many places that elephants still live in the wild, there is also conflict with local people because elephants need a lot of space, need a lot of food and they'll raid villages, destroy crops."
The Elephant Earth Initiative has worked with communities to build electric fences designed to withstand elephants, to place GPS collars on problem elephants and even to build a craft centre for a group of tribal women in Kenya who learned how to create handmade paper out of elephant dung.
Those who attend the presentation next week can expect to learn more about these initiatives, and the couple's travels in Southeast Asia, Africa and India.
"This whole journey is what's going to be portrayed there so it's adventurous, it's funny, and it's sometimes sad."
Elephants and Other Adventures takes place on Monday, April 2, 7 p.m. at West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Dr., West Vancouver. Admission is by donation with all proceeds going towards the Anti-Poaching Project. Audience members should be at least 12 years old as the presentation contains graphic images of poached elephants.
For more information go to www.hiddenplaces.net.
