Three loving words at the other side of the elephant story in Africa—elephants you will not see on safari, but those that have been orphaned, injured, or have been victims of culling, writes Karen Davila
Last summer, before going to safari, I took my kids to The Elephant Camp in Victoria Falls, a sanctuary that now takes care of 19 elephants that have been wounded, orphaned or are very old. What makes this experience valuable is the up-close encounter with these magnificent creatures and the opportunity to understand their needs and behaviour while being on foot alongside them.
The guides first introduced us to their initial herd of four, including the famous “Miz Ellie” and “Jumbo”—the largest of them all and more than 30 years old. They were first captured during culling operations and then sold to a farmer, and have been now rescued to a sanctuary that is able to care for them. I was very impressed with the training and handling of the elephants as they are moving closest to their natural habitats, still roaming free, like being in the wild.
After the elephants are rescued, rehabilitation could take years. Being up close, it’s easy to love them. Majestic as they are, there is such a gentleness in their eyes and a seeming smile on their lips, that is even more pronounced when they’re raising their tusks and being fed. They’re known to have such empathy with each other that when one dies, they pay their respects and stay with the dead for some time, softly pouncing their tusks on the cadaver.
While the practice of culling or population control is no longer carried out in Zimbabwe, adult elephants face a new threat—being shot and killed for their precious ivory tusks, not just leaving behind juvenile orphans who will not survive out in the wild on their own but seriously affecting the world elephant population.
Today, there are only around 400,000 African elephants and less than 40,000 Asian elephants left in the world. African elephants are killed for their ivory tusks, while Asian elephants risk losing their habitat from forest burning and are mostly captured for labour, circus acts, elephant ride treks. It’s said that if we don’t act fast, elephants could be extinct in the next 10 years.
