Collaboration and networking is fundamental to achieving the goals of ElephantVoices. Our web of colleagues, like the social network of elephants, extends far and wide across countries and continents. Even though our formal team is small - the big circle of individuals and institutions that we regularly team up with is far-reaching. ElephantVoices couldn't operate effectively without them, which is why this short introduction is included on this page. We thank all our collaborators, including those from the earliest days, for the discoveries and achievements made possible by working together. A special thank you to all those we have worked with in Amboseli and Maasai Mara, Kenya, and in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, where we have spent most of our field time over the years.

Joyce Poole is Co-Founder and Co-Director of ElephantVoices. She has a Ph.D. in elephant behavior from Cambridge University, and has studied the social behavior and communication of elephants for over 50 years, dedicating her life to their conservation and welfare. Her contributions to science include the discovery of musth in male African elephants, the description of the contextual use of elephant vocalizations, including those below the level of human hearing, and the discovery of vocal imitation.

Her finding that ivory poaching destroys the fabric of elephant society was instrumental to the decision to ban the international trade in ivory in 1989. Her understanding of male elephant behavior, and the importance of social learning and role models in elephant society have been key to the adoption of more humane elephant management practices. As head of the Elephant Program of Kenya Wildlife Service from 1990-1994, Joyce was responsible for elephant conservation and management throughout Kenya. Her knowledge and enthusiasm inspired many Kenyans who hold key elephant management positions in the country today. In 1996, she was awarded a Smith College Medal for her elephant research, conservation and training in Africa.

Joyce has written two books, numerous scientific papers and popular articles on the subject of elephant behavior and conservation, and has participated in scores of media projects. You may enjoy watching an animation with Joyce talking about her life passion, elephants, published on Nautilus 6 October 2016.

Petter Granli is an economist with broad experience from corporate level management and marketing, and is Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ElephantVoices. He has worked for many years as a management consultant with special focus on leadership, teambuilding, marketing, and communication. He has extensive experience in different trades as board Chairman or member. Petter was one of the founders of, and headed the Norwegian ecotourism company Basecamp Explorer AS from 1998 to 2001. During that time he initiated the Maasai Mara Cheetah Conservation Project and several eco-friendly, collaborative projects involving the Maasai.

Between 2004 and 2006, Petter initiated and was responsible for a human-elephant conflict mitigation project in the Amboseli ecosystem, affiliated with the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, Kenya Wildlife Service and School for Field Service in Kimana, Kenya. Petter has technical skills and computer knowledge relevant for our online and offline challenges, and comprehensive experience in field operations.

Mickey Pardo is a Senior Scientist at ElephantVoices, which he joined in mid November 2025. He has a PhD in animal behavior from Cornell University and his primary areas of expertise are animal communication, animal cognition, and bioacoustics (the study of animal sounds).

Mickey first began studying elephant vocal communication in 2012, initially working with wild Asian elephants in Sri Lanka, before taking a break to study acorn woodpeckers for several years. He first crossed paths with ElephantVoices in 2016, when he initiated a collaborative effort with Joyce and several other elephant researchers to compare the combination calls made by different elephant species. From 2019-2023, he completed a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship on elephant vocal communication with Professor George Wittemyer, working with African savannah elephants in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya.

In collaboration with both Save The Elephants and ElephantVoices, he led a study showing for the first time that elephants address members of their family with name-like calls. This discovery was featured by over 3,000 media outlets in over 90 countries. Mickey also led another study in collaboration with Save The Elephants and ElephantVoices showing that elephants in the Samburu and Amboseli populations have different “accents”.

As of 2025, he has about a dozen peer-reviewed publications, including several scientific journal articles and a book chapter on elephants. He was recently named to the Explorer’s Club EC50 Class of 2025 in recognition of his work on elephant vocal communication.

Selengei Poole-Granli was born and raised in Kenya, and as the daughter of Joyce and Petter, she spent much of her childhood living at the Elephant Research Camp in Amboseli National Park, observing elephants while her parents documented their behavior and recorded their voices. From an early age, she developed a deep love and understanding of animals - especially elephants - and a strong passion for animal protection and welfare.

Selengei has a bachelor degree from Falmouth University, and received a Falmouth Internship Award to work in Marketing for Island Records within the Universal Music Group in London afterwards. She worked for ElephantVoices from mid October 2017 to end 2018, expanding her knowledge of elephants and conservation issues while managing the social media platform of a widely followed conservation charity. She then spent a year as manager of Sarara Camp in northern Kenya, where hands-on experience and insights from her Samburu colleagues deepened her understanding of conservation in practice. During this time, she also began using her own social media platform to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.

More recently, Selengei worked as a researcher for Ecoflix, a streaming startup showcasing the work of conservation heroes. In 2022 she joined The Jane Goodall Institute based in the UK. In late 2023 she returned to ElephantVoices as Communications Manager. Her deep love for animals have guided her career.