BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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ADELE REYNOLDS
President

Endangered species advocate Adele Reynolds is the President of Rhino & Elephant Defenders (RED). In her role, she led the rebranding of RED from the former Global March for Elephants & Rhinos – Toronto (GMFER-TO). In addition to collaborating with the team on action items and campaigns, she manages the website, writes and edits various communications, contributes to social media, and participates in outreach for events.

Adele’s passion for the plight of endangered species fueled her to pursue an education in environmental studies. Her writing and communication skills were honed in by a career in educational publishing. Her new career path is relationship-building in a science-driven organization, with much programming focused on the impacts of climate change.

Adele believes strongly that “nothing is more important than saving a species from extinction” and that educating others – especially youth – is the key towards saving species and achieving positive planetary change. You can visit Adele’s blog site at Protect Our Planet Now.

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HEATHER CRAIG
Co-Founder & Vice President

In Heather’s various roles, she was also Past President. A visit to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in 2013 fueled Heather Craig’s lifelong love of elephants and a new love for rhinos which has evolved into a passionate advocacy for these beautiful beings. Joining the Global March for Elephants & Rhinos - Toronto (GMFER-TO) team in 2013 (President from 2016-2020) created the perfect opportunity for Heather to raise awareness about the elephant and rhino poaching crisis with the goal to ensure their long-term survival in the wild. Her deepening concern for all endangered species and increasing human/wildlife conflict aligns with the newly branded Rhino & Elephant Defenders (RED) team’s enhanced vision for the future. Her focus remains on core strategy, education, and outreach.

JANINE CAVIN
Co-Founder, Secretary & Treasurer

Elephant lover since childhood, Janine Cavin saw her first wild African elephant in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. She is a Co-Founder and the Treasurer of Rhino & Elephant Defenders (RED) formerly known as Global March for Elephants & Rhinos – Toronto (GMFER-TO). While she originally joined GMFER-TO to raise awareness about the poaching crisis, her long love of elephants took her on an advocacy journey to raise awareness for rhinos, African and Asian elephants, each species facing their own threats and extinction.    

Janine’s passion for elephants led her to join a group determined to move three captive zoo elephants at the Toronto Zoo to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). In 2016, she visited The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s nursery in Nairobi. In 2017, Janine travelled to Thailand to volunteer in a special elephant project to find out how villagers keep and treat their elephants. She also spent a week as a volunteer at the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand.

 Janine is currently fostering six orphaned elephants.