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In the next part of our series, we share about Adine’s trip to Kenya earlier this year. We show her view of the orphans at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya.
Adine writes…
The plan was to go to Voi reintegration area to see the orphans returning to the stockades for their evening milk bottles. The evening visits occur from 5 to 6 pm when the elephants return for their milk and spend the night at the stockades. I was very excited, and we set off just after 3 pm. We arrived at the Voi reintegration unit, the heart of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s past. This is where David Sheldrick was Tsavo East National Park’s founding warden and Daphne Sheldrick raised the first elephants. The stockades sit at the base of Mazinga Hill, overlooking the southern section of Tsavo East and are one of the units where the elephants are released into the wild. Tsavo East National Park is managed by Kenyan Wildlife Services and is government-owned.
The first group of elephants arrived, rushing for their milk bottles. You have exclusive access to visiting the orphans while staying at one of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Eco-Lodges. Guests are required to adopt an elephant at Voi. Foster parents must get a permission letter from the SWT Nairobi office three weeks before arrival. As the elephants came in, the keepers pointed to the adoptive elephants so the group could feed their orphans. Like Khanyisa, they slurped their bottles in seconds. When the calves had drunk their milk, they quickly moved to their designated area in the stockade to make space for the next group. It was a busy 10 or 15 minutes and once all the orphans were safely in their stockades munching on branches, we could move around. The group was split into smaller groups of the same age that chose to feed together.
It must be necessary to keep a bit of discipline as elephants, like children who flourish in routine, although some will always push the boundaries. That is why there are boundaries, and if there are no boundaries, you get lost as you don’t have the wisdom to distinguish between right and wrong. Two orphans were not sleeping in the stockades but hung around outside. They were weaned and part of a released group but kept returning. I prayed that they were safe until they were ready to move on into the wild. I loved being among the elephants and felt the energy around them. I wanted to ask the keepers questions, but the ones coming back from the bush were tired and retired to their own quarters. The head keeper answered everyone’s questions. The time sped by and before 6pm we were in the game drive vehicle and heading back to Caldessa. We had to be off the roads and back at the lodge by 7pm, and we didn’t stop or slow down once. But while we were driving, the sun was setting, and I could see everyone in the car was busy in their own world of thoughts.
I had so many thoughts milling around in my mind. Like, if HERD receives many orphans, how many can we accommodate? Where will we release? Will HERD ever receive assistance for release areas when the time is ready? When will the time be ready? How will the elephants feel that have not joined a group and will they have issues later? How will we know all the answers? Will I have time to document everything, and how can I use my time more efficiently to benefit the elephants? How..? What.. Where.. When… If… I looked into the horizon I captured a picture with my phone. Time will tell, I realised. That is the answer. If I fill my thoughts with fear and questions, I will not be open to hearing the voice of God. I need to go with the flow and allow myself to be used as an instrument by God. I will keep doing my best, I told myself. I will work hard till the day I die. I will keep making mistakes because I am human, but I will do my best to make the world a better place. I will try to keep my heart pure. I need to learn not to build walls around myself. I will keep finding peace and answers in nature and in animals and allow myself to be guided. It was an incredible experience visiting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and seeing the orphans, learning from their set up, and taking it all in to inspire me in our work at HERD.
The next video takes us to another stage of the Voi reintegration area. Stay tuned, and thank you for following our journey in Kenya.
