Fenya was a young elephant calf that was a severe snaring victim and was brought into our care on 17 February 2021. She had somehow survived nearly two months on her own with horrific wounds from the snare. Sadly, on Thursday 11 March, Fenya succumbed to the damage to her body from her wounds and long time of starvation and dehydration. All funds from this campaign will be used towards vital equipment needed at the orphanage, and her high veterinary bills and continual operational costs at HERD.
South Africa and most of Africa is facing an increasing threat of human/elephant conflict. Poaching and snaring is a common activity, either for food for communities or for the ivory. It is our responsibility to be able give a second chance to elephants like Fenya, and provide them with a second family, the Jabulani herd, who is accepting of wild orphans.
This project funding has contributed towards her intense treatment that still has running costs even to this day, including milk, medicines, staffing and operational costs. We have since Fenya's passing decided to acquire necessary equipment for HERD that will have a direct impact on the area the elephants graze in. Being able to cover operational costs gives us the opportunity to give snaring and poaching victims the second chance they deserve and to be able to continue caring for them.
We have to look at the long term impact of the elephant species, and the every growing threat of their habitat shrinking, and communities being desperate for food. Part of our goals at HERD is to also educate the local communities, especially the youth, about snaring and the impact it has on animals and especially elephants to try help for a better understanding and respect for wildlife, which is our natural capital.
