A Journey of Generosity | HERD’s Gratitude Blog

As we start a new year, it’s only fitting that we take a moment to reflect on those who helped and supported us in 2023. The generosity of many incredible people, organisations, and businesses from all around the world enabled us to care for the rescued herd, rehabilitate the environment they live in, and contribute to the local community. We would not be able to carry out our mission without the support of others.

In this blog post, we want to share our gratitude and thank those whose recent contributions made a significant impact on our work and in the lives of the elephants. Between April and November last year, the following supporters and partners helped us immensely. We are sincerely grateful for each of these contributions. Thank you for making a difference.

Ongoing Ele-Champions

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all our followers, friends, donors, foster parents, partners, and supporters for your continuous support every month! Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us to look after the elephants and continue our work. You are incredible and we are immensely grateful for your support! Thank you for being part of the HERD family.

Essential Daily Operations

A very, very big thank you to AMARULA TRUST for their donation towards elephant care and feed, as well as orphan care and milk feed. We are extremely grateful for your continued support!

Full Tummies

Thank you to SOLEIL SITRUS for their ongoing support and for donating around 24 tonnes of oranges, pomelos, and grapefruits to the elephants between May and September 2023.

Special Projects and Gifts

Thank you to fSTOP FOUNDATION for donating nine Browning Trail Camera Traps with accessories to HERD.

Thank you to RECLAIMED EARTH and their volunteers for their donation and for their ongoing support!

Thank you to IZINDLOVU FUND for donating 25 water bottles as Christmas gifts to the elephant carers.

Thank you to FREIGHT CARE LOGISTICS for their continuous support and for donating towards the urgent transport of 25kg bags of powdered milk for the orphaned rhinos.

Thank you to HATFIELD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL for collecting wishlist items at their school and donating a variety of cleaning materials and stationery to HERD.

Thank you to Ann Chapel for donating a variety of jewellery items and bracelets for HERD to sell as merchandise.

Thank you to Lynn Brodovcky for donating a special framed painting of Adine and Khanyisa.

Thank you to Nita Smith, Audrey Neeser, Angela de Jager, and Kieran Rimmer for making and donating 11 blankets to HERD – two for HERD to use for a fundraising campaign and the others to use for orphan elephants.

Community Development Projects

Thank you to TREE FACTOR for supporting our community project and donating seven fruit trees, which were planted at Jameyana Primary School (formerly known as Mpisi Primary School) by the HERD team.

Thank you to WD SEEDLINGS TZANEEN for supporting our community project and donating 265 vegetable seedlings, which were planted in Jameyana Primary School’s vegetable garden by the HERD team.

A big thank you to NTT TOYOTA HOEDSPRUIT for their ongoing partnership and support in donating 50% of the costs of the Nkosi Superbars each month. Nkosi Superbars were handed out to grade one learners at Jameyana Primary School three times per week.

A big thank you to FREIGHT CARE LOGISTICS for their ongoing partnership and support in ensuring that the Nkosi Superbars were delivered to Jameyana Primary School learners every month. Freight Care Logistics donated towards the monthly courier cost of delivering the Nkosi Superbar boxes from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit!

Events

A huge thank you to all our incredible sponsors who donated prizes and goodie bags for our Trails for Trunks event in August 2023. See more information in our blog here.

A huge thank you to the amazing sponsors who generously donated items for goodie bags given to our cyclists who participated in 947 Ride Joburg in November 2023: PVM, Sox Footwear, The IV Bar, Seattle Coffee Co, and VitaminMe.

Thank you to KING PRICE INSURANCE for giving us the opportunity to join them on their annual golf day. Thank you as well to all of their clients and guests who supported us on the day by purchasing our JabuGin and helping us create awareness for HERD and elephant conservation.

Fundraising Campaigns

Thank you to THE PERFECT WORLD FOUNDATION for their donation towards milk bottles for Khanyisa on World Milk Day and Khanyisa’s birthday.

Thank you to ANIMAL SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL for their fundraising campaigns and donations towards orphan milk feed, Fishan’s treatment, and Ike’s the rhino’s treatment.

Elephant Adoptions

Thank you to all of our foster parents! The donations we receive through elephant adoptions contribute to the day-to-day care of the elephants. By adopting an elephant, foster parents help us to provide them with nutritious food, medical care, and an environment where they can be safe and happy. The following donors made significant contributions to the care of the elephants by becoming Silver, Gold, or Platinum foster parents between April and November 2023:

• C Dollon
• P Horn
• S Coetzee, in honour of C Coetzee
• L Curtin
• C Hugo
• T Brandoff, in honour of B Brandoff
• L Morgan
• L Jouppi
• M Parmet
• T Mersentes
• K Freece
• D De Tour
• D Thornton, in honour of J Meyerowitz
• S Larson
• B Magin
• K English
• C Kapoor
• The Howard Family Foundation
• M and J Loebel
• C Wates
• D Stratten

Donations

A special thank you to each person and organisation who donated to HERD! Monetary donations provide us with the necessary resources to carry out our work, from elephant care and environmental conservation to community outreach and scientific research. The following donors made donations of more than USD 500 between April and November 2023:

• A Cocuzzo
• A Nortje
• AE Del Gaudio
• A Gotthardt
• A Venter
• B Peake
• B Gordin
• B Aspero
• B Ghenne
• B and S Samuel
• B Wilkins
• Bright Funds
• B Perkins
• C Williams Aspero
• C Embry
• C Reay
• C Botten
• C Goodsole
• C Ehrensberger
• C Mohr
• C Hugo
• C Beard
• C Johnson
• D Harbaugh
• D Hansel
• D Sarran
• D Raphael
• D Simmonds
• D Maree
• D Harrington
• D Liaquat Ali Khan
• D Ebright
• D Griffith
• D Hehl
• E Allen
• Elephant Friends
• E Cohen
• E Mackey
• F Rubenstein
• H and J Feinbloom
• J Adams
• J Parish
• JC Anderson
• JC Naumowicz
• J Gould
• J Oneal
• J Osman
• J Hubers-Brandt
• J Wilczek
• K Chesmel
• L Anderson
• L Roberts
• L Carmean
• L Yanai
• L Kuczka
• L Redwood-Kahn
• L Williams
• L Heiden
• L Tivey
• L Gaffar
• M Demierre
• M Brusuelas
• M Gross
• M Moreno
• M Pater
• M McGowan
• M Barnum
• M Valckx
• M Widyana
• MR Biller Unold
• N Wilkie
• P Augustine
• P Linton
• P Ward
• P Young
• P Higgins
• P Lim
• R Bromley
• R Takesue
• R Van Vliet
• R Johns
• S Rigor
• S Parbhoo Narsing
• S Fastnaught
• S Simpson
• The Henley House Veterinary Clinic
• T Hamilton
• U Thierstein
• US Charitable Gift Trust
• Z Rutherford

Thank you to each and every organisation, business, and individual who has generously supported us and been part of the HERD family. It is only with your support that we have been able to continue our mission of caring for the rescued elephants. Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being such an integral part of our journey.

Note: If your name appears in this blog and you would like for us to remove or change it, please contact us at social@herd.org.za.