By Sunel Craythorne | Fundraising Administrator
The last news was about our growing herd and how a new orphan joined them. It is with extremely heavy hearts that we had to announce the passing of this little bull, Phabeni. It has been a tragic loss for our whole team, our supporters, and of course the herd. The Jabulani herd is incredible in their unique acceptance of wild orphan calves who need a family made up of their own species. They bonded closely with little Phabeni but sadly had to say their goodbyes all too soon. You can follow the update about the events of Phabeni’s last day here: https://youtu.be/I6qmcGgGqv0, as well as see how the herd reacted here: https://youtu.be/sDRq5VT6uqI.
Elephants are incredibly intelligent animals and know when something is wrong. During Phabeni’s last night, and in the morning, during his passing, the herd stood outside the orphanage gate. They gathered there and after a while, they turned around and went to the stand under the homestead roof, waiting for the carers. On another morning, an unusual event took place as Tokwe, Lundi and some of the other elephants headed to the orphanage to look for Phabeni. Normally the herd walk in the opposite direction into the bush for their day of roaming. Matriarch Tokwe led the elephants to the orphanage. It was an emotional moment as the elephants no doubt realised that Phabeni was not joining them, and was no longer at the orphanage. Lundi investigated the smells on the ground closest to the orphanage. Phabeni’s adoptive mother, Setombe joined in the front to trace the scents and detect signs of her baby. Among the elephants here were: Tokwe, Lundi, Kumbura, Fishan, Jabulani, Setombe, Bubi, Zindoga and Klaserie. There is no way of avoiding this stress, this pain of losing a loved one, not for elephants or humans.
It will take time to heal from this. Phabeni was lucky in that he was able to find support from his own species again, and the imprint he leaves on the herd is obvious. He changed Setombe for the better, as the older female opened her heart to a calf who was not her own.
Even during the difficult times, we need to stay strong for the health and wellbeing of all the elephants in our care. We need to continue to look after the land they call home. With winter here it is more important than ever that we consider the state of our environment, and the land around the homestead and orphanage where the elephants walk and forage the most.
The work we carry out to support the elephants’ home, to protect it from degradation, includes techniques for combatting large erosion networks to prevent the loss of valuable topsoil, planning and revising road networks and associated infrastructure, and techniques that will revive the basal grass layer essential for ecosystem well-being, and strategies to protect existing large trees from being pushed over by the herd. The remaining community of large trees is critical for functioning core ecosystem services such as the hydrological cycle, pollination, micro-habitats for smaller members of the ecosystem, and simply to shade animals from the sun. We are working to create an environment that can sustain our herd and every other member of this complex and ever-changing ecosystem.
There is never a dull moment when watching our elephant herd enjoying themselves in their bush home, doing what elephants do best. Keep an eye on our YouTube channel to stay up to date with the activities of the herd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EkU26JN1uE&t=375s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0gZmjutKWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyHNkrMtOA4
Follow HERD online:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HERDElephantOrphanageSouthAfrica
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HERDElephantsSA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herd_elephants/
Thank you again for your ongoing support and compassion.
Yours in conservation
Adine and the HERD Team
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