You and your family can organize a Cell Phone Drive to help save elephants in Sumatra

The Flying Squad is a group of domesticated elephants used to chase wild elephants from lands near Tesso Nilo National Park where they might be killed by angry farmers.

The El Paso Zoo is asking cell phone users to answer the call and turn in their used cell phones to help raise funds for Zoo efforts to help save endangered Asian elephants at Tesso Nilo National Park in Sumatra. Over the past five years the Zoo in cooperation with the El Paso Zoological Society and the World Wildlife Fund has been educating people about the endangered status of Asian elephants. The Zoo receives $1.00 for each phone collected with 100% of the money collected going to support the Flying Squad elephant conservation program in Sumatra. The program has been very successful in helping to discourage conflicts between wild elephants and people living near the park. Wild elephants will eat crops from farmers' fields and it is important that they be encouraged to return to the park when they enter these areas.

The public may donate their used wireless phones by simply stopping at the Zoo during regular business hours and dropping them off at the front gate or by mailing their phones to: El Paso Zoo, 4001 E. Paisano, El Paso, Texas 79905. The primary goal of the phone drive fundraiser is to collect wireless phones that consumers aren't using anymore. With more than 30 million used wireless phones lying idle in American homes and businesses, an individual can turn a used item into new funding that helps support our mission in a simple, but effective way. You can organize a recycled cell phone drive at your school, work, or with your civic organization. For assistance in organizing your effort contact the Zoo's Education Curator at 915-521-1881 or write lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov. Learn more about zoo conservation efforts and how you can help by visiting the Zoo's Take Action web pages at www.elpasozoo.org.