HERD Announces Plans for Dedicated Elephant Research Centre in Honour of Limpopo

Press Release – March 2026

Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD) has announced plans to establish a dedicated on-site research centre to advance scientific understanding of elephant health, emotional well-being, behaviour, and environmental stressors.

South Africa is home to one of the largest remaining populations of African elephants. Yet despite their presence in game reserves and national parks, African Savannah elephants remain endangered globally. A deeper understanding of elephant stress, behaviour, and welfare may help to mitigate human-elephant conflict and support long-term conservation efforts.

The planned *in memory of* Limpopo Research Centre will be developed at HERD’s elephant orphanage and rehabilitation centre in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It will enable regular non-invasive dung analysis, structured behavioural monitoring, and integrated environmental assessment to support evidence-based elephant care.

HERD Founder, Adine Roode, says the centre reflects HERD’s long-term commitment to improving elephant welfare through care, observation, research, and collaboration.

“Wildlife is one of our precious cultural heritages. It plays an enormous role in job creation, conservation, education, and our connection to the natural world, and it must be protected,” says Roode.

“One of HERD’s key objectives is to recognise and accept the responsibility of caring for vulnerable animals on behalf of broader society. This includes acknowledging society’s wish for, and expectation of, the protection and enhancement of these animals’ quality of life, planned and sustained for their full lives.”

To better understand why elephants behave the way they do, HERD plans to build an on-site laboratory where frequent analysis of elephant dung can detect physiological and hormonal indicators of stress and overall well-being.

A central pillar of the research will be the involvement of HERD’s elephant carers in structured behavioural observation. Many of these carers have cared for the elephants for almost three decades. Their deep bonds with the herd place them in a uniquely informed position to identify subtle welfare indicators, making them essential contributors to applied conservation science.

HERD is South Africa’s first and only dedicated elephant orphanage and rehabilitation centre. It operates a unique integration model in which orphaned calves are gradually introduced into a stable, adoptive elephant herd on a private reserve in Limpopo Province. HERD currently cares for 15 elephants, commonly referred to as the Jabulani herd.

According to Roode, many of the elephants that arrive at HERD are victims of snaring, poaching, or human-wildlife conflict, and require specialised care and long-term support. Understanding how these animals respond to emotional, physical, and environmental stimuli is key to helping them adjust, heal, and thrive. This knowledge may also help researchers and conservationists better understand the complexities of elephant rehabilitation and, where appropriate, future rewilding possibilities.

HERD was inspired to establish the Limpopo Research Centre following a tragic incident in September 2025 involving Limpopo, one of the elephants in HERD’s care, which led to the death of long-term HERD employee Israel Shambira. Following the incident, the heartbreaking decision was made to euthanise Limpopo to prevent future tragedies.

The research centre will be named in memory of Limpopo and will serve as a place of learning, reflection, and scientific progress. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria, ensuring scientific rigour and ethical oversight.

As a public benefit organisation, HERD will raise funds to build the centre through its 1000 Echoes for Elephants campaign. Supporters will have the opportunity to purchase an Echo, represented by a metal plate that will form part of a 1,000-piece soundwave installation of the words “Limpopo Research Centre.”

The completed installation will be permanently displayed inside the laboratory, creating a visual reminder of the importance of listening to elephants before their needs become but an echo.

For questions regarding the plans for the Limpopo Research Centre or HERD’s ongoing conservation initiatives, please contact:

Marlien van der Westhuizen
PR & Senior Fundraiser
T: +27 (0) 12 460 5605
C: +27 (0) 67 325 6922
E: PR@HERD.ORG.ZA