Our history

We provide field treatment for an adult male forest elephant found in Conkouati-Douli National Park in Congo with a poacher's eye on its leg. Thanks to the intervention of veterinarian Lukáš Pavlačík, we are able to locate, sedate, and successfully treat the elephant. Filip Schätz and Arthur Sniegon also participate.

We continue to develop security measures to protect farmers' fields in Chad from hippos. Volunteer Filip Schätz is helping local colleagues implement a project to provide general support to local women from farming and herding communities, thanks to support from the Czech Development Agency.

As part of the Elephangelist project, we invite a group of eight Czech and Slovak painters to Congo. Their travel symposium in Congo will result in the creation of 24 works of art, which will then be auctioned to raise money for the protection of the Tsoulou area.

We are called upon to participate in the rescue of an African forest elephant orphan in Congo. Together with people from the Jane Goodall Institute, Zoolandia in Brazzaville, and others, we care for this unique animal in need for almost two weeks. However, the young female Mia ultimately dies.

In connection with the Elephangelist project, the Discovery Fortress science center in Olomouc is launching a long-term educational exhibition called In the Footsteps of Elephants, which we helped to create.

We welcome singer Ben Cristovao and the creative team behind the film The Elephangelist (Lukáš Hodis, Jakub Chlouba, Radek Karkys, and others) to Congo and launch an awareness campaign to support elephant conservation.

In Congo, near Ngamanzambala, by the main road, we discover and begin to study and protect a pair of isolated male of African forest elephants that exhibit very unusual behavior.

We explore the wider northern outskirts of the Tsoulou Reserve in Congo, discover another karstic, crystal-clear river, the D'Jatza, and undertake a pilot project in the farming community of Leboulou to protect fields using chili peppers.

In Congo, we undertake our first official field mission with representatives of the Ministry of Forestry to the Tsoulou area, and later, during bilateral negotiations, we formulate a long-term cooperation agreement on the management of the reserve.

We are establishing cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ostrava and sending Petra Macounová, a representative of the medical staff, on a pilot mission to several locations in Congo (especially on the outskirts of the Tsoulou reserve).

On the outskirts of the Tsoulou reserve in the village of Leboulou in Congo, we are helping local farmers protect selected fields from forest elephant raids using both electric fences and chili pepper mixtures. Volunteers Jiří Kosař and Filip Schätz are returning to Congo.

The movie The Elephangelist, directed by Jakub Chlouba and produced by Lukáš Hodis, was shot in Congo. The documentary describes Arthur's involvement in nature conservation in Congo and his plan to rehabilitate the neglected Tsoulou reserve.

We are sending a small container from the Czech Republic to Congo with a donated Škoda Yeti car (Karireal company), mountain bikes (Bikes for Africa), and other off-road equipment. Numerous volunteers such as Filip Schätz, Jan Šural, Prokop Košátko, Vojtěch Koštíř, and Veronika Čermák Macková work in Congo throughout the year.

In the English-speaking part of Cameroon, we uncovered the illegal activities of a dealer in gorilla and chimpanzee skulls and, in cooperation with the organization LAGA (EAGLE Network), we helped arrest the person in question. He spent six months behind bars and paid a heavy fine.

In southern Chad, near the Logone River, we helped three villages protect 60 hectares of farmers' agricultural land from the incursion of hippos from the river, which repeatedly destroyed their crops. The project is part of a long-term collaboration with the local organization A.L.C.P., and our volunteer Filip Schätz is also participating.

In Congo, we are beginning to discover the biodiversity of the forgotten Tsoulou Reserve, which has been without management or protection since the 1990s. Biologists Stanislav Lhota and Ondřej Sedláček, as well as project partners Josef Říha and Štěpán Červený, are participating in the pilot surveys.

After a year-long investigation in Congo, we initiate the arrest of six traffickers and the seizure of 101 kg of ivory, submachine gun ammunition, and a vehicle. Coordination is carried out with the local Gendarmerie, the Ministry of the Environment, and the PALF (EAGLE Network) organization. The trial did not proceed as usual and dragged on, with the detainees spending a year behind bars.

After almost five years of operation, the "elephant" charity second-hand shop in Karviná has closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, but Moment o.p.s. continues to support us through its network of other shops in Ostrava and Prague.

In the northern branch of the dog project in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, which we left under the management of African Parks, a litter of seven healthy puppies was born to the female dog Doli and the male dog Charm.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Tomáš Jůnek and Pavel Zoubek continue with the next phase of Expedition Neuron, and Arthur takes over in the fall.

We are finalizing the #zlonovina (#evilvory) campaign aimed at raising awareness against the use of ivory, especially in Asian countries.

We handed over both branches of the dog project to local partners (African Parks in Odzala-Kokoua National Park and the Jane Goodall Institute in Tchimpounga Reserve), and coordinator Arthur can now withdraw from his permanent mission in Congo.

Detection dogs Titan and Shon die shortly after each other in Odzala-Kokoua National Park from acute trypanosomiasis (a disease transmitted by tsetse flies).

A Czech-Slovak team of scientists and documentary filmmakers receives a grant from the Czech Neuron Foundation and embarks on the first phase of the Dzamba ya lobi expedition – monitoring animals in the Congo Basin in cooperation with WWF.

The dog unit in Odzala-Kokoua National Park is temporarily receiving a car for field missions from project supporter Josef Říha. Volunteer Bára Červená is also helping with the project.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are hosting the premiere of the film Zde jsou sloni (Here Are the Elephants), which tells the story of the beginnings of the project, which is subsequently published on YouTube.

The dog unit in Brazzaville moves north to Odzala-Kokoua National Park, and coordinator Arthur becomes an employee of African Parks. End of cooperation with The Aspinall Foundation.

We are delivering a dozen mountain bikes to conservationists in the endangered Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, thanks to the organization Bikes for Africa.

We are further strengthening our detection units in the Tchimpounga reserve on the Congolese coast with two dogs from Brazzaville. Volunteer Lenka Čolobentičová is also helping with the project.

After Chad, we are launching a project to protect small farmers' fields from elephants in Cameroon, specifically in the Kalfou reserve in the north of the country. We are using beehives for this purpose.

Police dog handler Martin Štěrba completes training of Holy, the detection dog, and donates her to the Congolese unit.

A tragic traffic accident involving a team of Congolese dog handlers, Slovak volunteers, and coordinator Arthur occurred in northern Congo. Our friend and activist Matúš Jankovič died as a result of the unfortunate accident. May he rest in peace. The project also lost the Czech female dog Cama in the accident.

We are splitting off part of the dog units and moving the first dogs to the Tchimpounga reserve on the Congolese coast, where we are launching a detection dog project with the Jane Goodall Institute.

The main parts of the dog project in Congo are transferred to The Aspinall Foundation, Arthur continues to be the coordinator of the detection units.

In cooperation with Brno University of Technology and other technical partners, we are launching work on a "smart collar" for elephants – a mobile shooting detector (still in development).

Our partners from Moment o.p.s. are opening a charity second-hand store in Karviná, focusing on elephant-themed designs and supporting our organization's projects with the proceeds.

We are building and testing the first anti-sun barriers made from beehives to protect the fields of local farmers with our partner organization A.L.C.P. in southern Chad.

Birth of the first litter of puppies to Belgian Shepherds Cama and Shon in Brazzaville and the beginning of training the next generation of detection dogs to search for ivory, bushmeat, trophies, weapons, and ammunition.

Michal Varga's documentary journey to Congo and the creation of the documentary Cama in Africa on Czech Television.

Our next shipment of mountain bikes for park rangers has been irretrievably lost in the corrupt machinery of the port of Douala in Cameroon. We apologize to all donors and are taking appropriate action.

Přemek Koudela's documentary journey to four countries where we operate and the creation of a documentary with Arthur about elephants for Czech Television.

Transport and the beginning of field missions for the Czech female dog Cama, handled by Hana Böhme, to Brazzaville in Congo.

With the support of CCBC, we are creating an awareness and fundraising campaign called #zlonovina (#evilvory) to support the transport of a Czech detection dog to Congo.

The beginning of Arthur's work (until 2016) with PALF (EAGLE Network) in Congo – leading a dog project and direct participation in investigations and arrests of traffickers.

Arthur's return to Congo-Brazzaville with dog handler Hana Böhme and the start of training for PALF detection dogs. First deployment of dogs at the airport and road checkpoints.

After traveling 6000 kilometers by bike and kayak, Arthur completes his expedition, donates his well-deserved bike to a Cameroonian schoolboy, and temporarily returns to the Czech Republic.

We are sending the first donated mountain bikes to the Zakouma National Park rangers in Chad thanks to the organization Bikes for Africa.

Arthur returns to the rebel-controlled Central African Republic and continues his journey with the help of a kayak.

Participation in monitoring and collaring savanna elephants in Chad with the organization African Parks.

We document the massacre of nearly a hundred elephants in Chad and participate in the rescue of Max, an orphaned elephant calf.

Arthur's first successful operation to arrest two ivory traffickers in Congo and Cameroon with the LAGA (EAGLE Network) organization.

Arthur, founder of the association, embarks on a solo cycle-kayaking expedition across seven countries in Central Africa and shoots the film Here Are the Elephants.