Mission


	Elephants of Africa Rescue Society is dedicated to supporting projects aimed at securing a safe habitat for wild, African animals and dedicated to providing a sanctuary for their captive cousins with a special focus on elephants. We believe that by educating the public about the problems facing both captive and wild animals we can increase public awareness and support.


	In memory of Akili

		Akili was EARS director’s Charlie Sammut’s first elephant. Akili was brought to Charlie by a special woman named Dotty Olson - she was Akili’s mom and Akili was Dotty’s child. Basically a pet (in a day when it was legal to do so), Dotty found Charlie in an attempt to find a more appropriate home for Akili. Charlie adopted both Akili and Dotty, moving them onto the ranch together. In May of 1998, tragedy struck all who love Akili when she died of colic and a complete torsion - a condition that no cure exists for in elephants.


	The loss of Akili inspired Charlie to dedicate his life and the remainder of his property to these special creatures. Shortly after, Charlie met EARS director Heather Greaux and that inspiration became a reality.

Heather Sammut is the actual founder of EARS, her love of elephants inspired her to do all the tedious non-profit paperwork filing prior to even having elephants for the sanctuary she hoped to one day realize.

Her years of experience with many different elephants in captivity is invaluable to today’s residents of EARS.

She really is the brains behind the brawn.


	Elephants of Africa Rescue Society is a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization. We have a board of directors consisting of eleven people who have a love for African Elephants. Some with exotic animal experience, others with just the desire to help and a skill to offer. We have pulled our resources together to form E.A.R.S.

We are currently allowing our elephants to participate in noninvasive studies that we feel will benefit the national data base. This, in turn, will better the lives of all elephants in captivity, including our own. Veterinarians and students from universities across the country are invited to study our group of elephants as well as receive samples (blood, stool, and/or urine) for their work. The captive population of African elephants is very threatened by our inability to successfully breed in captivity. Should tragedy strike in the wild, we could lose the species entirely therefore, we feel the captive elephant population is an insurance to all elephants and that all responsible captive elephant managers are obligated to participate in any scientific programs which might minimize this risk.

E.A.R.S. is situated on a 50 acre USDA and California Fish & Game approved and licensed facility in Northern California that already houses one African elephant. Our elephants are enjoying their retirement at Vision Quest Ranch. Please read more about the elephants, on our "Elephants" page. Past fundraisers have allowed EARS to provide a pool for the elephants to bathe in. Please read more about our efforts on our "Fundraising" page.