Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Protector of African Elephants Awarded Top Animal Conservation Prize Joe DeCapua 03 June 2010 A man whoâs devoted his life to saving Africaâs elephants is the winner of this yearâs Indianapolis Prize. Iain Douglas-Hamilton receives $100,000 for âoutstanding achievement in animal conservation.â Indianapolis Zoo Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Save the Elephants The award announced Thursday will be formally presented in September 25^th in the Midwestern U.S. city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Douglas-Hamilton is the founder and director of the organization Save the Elephants. His conservation efforts include rescuing desert elephants in Kenya and Mali during a severe drought, as well as working to end the illegal elephant ivory trade. Heâs pioneered work in using GPS (Global Positioning System) to track elephant herds day and night not only in Africa, but Asia as well. Upon hearing the news of winning the Indianapolis Prize, Douglas-Hamiltonâs reaction was one of âsurprise and delight.â Money well spent The conservationist says the monetary award will give him âa chance to do some things I might not have been able to do otherwise. Particularly to recognize some of the people who have been working for me long and loyally, who are sort of unsung heroes in conservation that I personally know about. And I know about their desperate needs.â VOA He adds, âItâs very rare to have a chance to actually have a sum of money at oneâs disposal that one can use in an unrestricted way. Doing this, I think, will increase their pride in the job they do, which is conservation.â Animals, people, space A big conservation issue is the co-existence of people and animals. âItâs largely a matter of space, of desperate human problems that spill over into animal problems. There is an expanding population that is living hand-to-mouth. And in actual fact is often degrading the habitat, moving into animal range. So there has to be a compromise. There has to be room for animals and room for people,â he says. That, he says, can only happen with good planning and good governance. âI think our challenge is to provide the information as scientists. So, itâs going to help the planners. And actually to get oneâs hands dirty with everything from top to bottom, including direct protection, helping with law enforcement and education â education is incredibly important,â he says. The success of future conservation efforts may depend on younger generations being aware of the current problems. âThe future generations have the future of the animals in their hands. And how they feel about animals is going to be all important,â he says. Worst case scenario, he says, is that education efforts fail and conservation programs are unable to protect some animals or species from going extinct. But Douglas-Hamilton is hopeful. âI donât think thatâs going to happen so much. Not so long as thereâs a growing body of international and home grown conservationists working together. If we all work together, nothingâs impossible,â he says. Smart planning The Save the Elephants director says itâs necessary to be âsmartâ about seeking a compromise between whatâs best for animals and people and ânot letting things develop in a haphazard way.â He says, âFor example, elephants have safe havens that are linked by narrow corridors. Itâs really important to keep those corridors open, which can be done at relatively low cost if you know where they are.â Thatâs where GPS technology comes in. âWith our high tech radio tracking devices, we actually can precisely follow the elephants in real time day and night, in season, out of season, through forests, up and down mountains. And this kind of very precise informationâ¦is making the work of conservation a lot more accurate and focused,â he says. Conservation takes on new urgency with the problems caused by climate change and its effects on both animals and people. Thereâs just something about elephants Asked why heâs devoted his life to saving elephants, he says, âOh, it becomes a way of life. You leave university. You get your first job. And if it happens to be an elephant, youâve become entangled in elephant life for the rest of your life. Very fascinating animals.â Douglas-Hamilton says heâs never been bored working to protect elephants, adding people may not realize what sentient creatures they are. He describes them as âintelligent creatures with quite complex feelings, emotions, relationships with each other and potentially relationships with individual human beings, too.â He looks upon them as âone of natureâs great masterpieces. Just as the Mona Lisa is important to us as a work of art, elephants are a work of nature. And it would be vandalism to destroy something that was so perfect in its own way.â Douglas-Hamilton currently lives and works in Nairobi, Kenya. .