Elephant preserve in the works

A Chico State biological sciences lecturer is working to further Wildcat’s knowledge on elephants through a new class.

Rebecca Brunelli and Tag Engstrom, a biological sciences professor, created BIOL 494 to build elephant knowledge and establish an elephant preserve in Tehama County.

Brunelli’s gains in her personal and professional life are resounding, but they all came with a certain perspective. She’s hopeful for the preserve’s success.

“A positive attitude is everything. It can help you deal with obstacles in your life. Instead of viewing them as failures, look at them as challenges you can overcome,” she said.

The overall yearly conditions in Northern California are similar to that of Southern Africa. The rolling hills will provide a semi-wild environment for these highly social animals and accommodate for them being long-distance migrators.

“I love teaching, but I’m also always keeping my eyes open for additional opportunities to work with animals and that’s why I’m excited about the Tembo Preserve,” Brunelli said.

The high standard of care given to these elephants by the Tembo Preserve, the Oakland Zoo and Chico State could yield incredible outcomes in terms of research development that include but are not limited to:

• The long-term conservation of elephants in Africa
• Improvement of the conditions and management of elephants in captivity
• Advancement of the current understanding of elephants and their well-being

The Tembo Preserve Foundation is “committed to the conservation of African elephants in the wild. They are dedicated to creating a (4,900 acre) elephant preserve in Northern California to provide a natural environment for elephants as well as inspires appreciation, supports research and develops innovative methods for supporting conservation,” according to its website.

Bringing the Tembo Preserve could mean huge results for Chico State and the science department. Chico could possibly become the place to learn about elephants and attract a large population of prospective students, both nationally and internationally.

The preserve, alongside the Oakland Zoo, who will oversee day-to-day operations, will also provide a more suitable habitat for captive African elephants with larger territories and variations in diet.

Elephant populations have dropped drastically from nearly 1.2 million in 1980 to 400,000 today. For students who want to help the grassroots efforts of Tembo Preserve, spring 2017 registration is still open for the elephant behavior and conservation class.

The class will offer 25 seats for students interested in learning more.

Brunelli suggests that the prospective students watch the new Netflix documentary, “The Ivory Game” to learn more about the current dire elephant situation.

Jae Siqueiros can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.