Sharing Pangea’s Vision

One of Pangea’s core pillars is engagement with our local community, so they have opportunities to meet the people behind the project and feel a part of what we are building here in Alentejo. This includes organizing special visitation days so they can see the sanctuary taking shape and learn more about the elephants, working with local businesses for construction and staffing needs, and participating in educational events with schools.

In April, we welcomed local residents of Alandroal so they could meet staff and ask questions about the sanctuary.

Hosting Special Visits

In April, we welcomed 122 people across two days of community visits. Guests included staff and students from Vila Viçosa, residents of Pardais and Fonte Soeiro, representatives from Alandroal municipality, and local businesses. The visits gave people from the surrounding communities a chance to see the site before the arrival of the first elephants and ask questions about the sanctuary and its development.

The conversations continued in May, when we welcomed The Explorers Club Portugal Chapter to the sanctuary, followed by students from a fifth-grade class in Alandroal. Heavy rain meant educational activities had to move inside the barn, where two long tables became the setting for a drawing activity imagining what the sanctuary would look like once it was completed. Ryan and Johnny even organised an elephant foot challenge in the sand, judging each group’s best attempt at creating an elephant footprint.

We hosted The Explorers Club Portugal Chapter in May, where participants hiked through the sanctuary to see where future habitats would be built.

Participating in Local Events

In May we also joined the ConVida Fair in Alandroal, an intergenerational event centred around health, education, family and culture in the Alentejo. The fair brings together local organisations and groups to encourage active conversations about themes and topics that matter to everyone. At our booth, we invited students to write messages and draw pictures welcoming Julie and Kariba ahead of their arrival. More than 100 notes, drawings and letters have now made their way to Pangea.

We participated in the ConVida Fair in Alandroal that focuses on health, education, family and culture in the Alentejo region.

These visits and events give us the chance to listen, answer questions, share what we are learning and introduce people to the place that Julie, Kariba, and other elephants will call home in the future. We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to visit, ask questions, and share their excitement for what we are creating at Pangea.