By ffc_admin
Listen to HERD Elephant Manager, Tigere Matipedza’s #STOPSNARING message: Setting out snares is just one of the tools that farmers throughout the world utilise in preventing the decimation of their crops and herds and therefore their livelihoods. In America, bobcats are opportunistic predators raiding farms for chickens, sheep, goats and domestic turkeys, while in many … Continued
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“There is a powerful force unleashed when young people resolve to make a change.” ― Jane Goodall Once in a while, we have the time and opportunity to give a nature conservation or environmental science student the chance to carry out valuable practical research work in our reserve, as part of their academic studies. It … Continued
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Just as the elephants need to be sustained, supported and protected, so too does the land that they roam across, that sustains and supports them. The beauty but also difficulty of conservation is how interlinked every part of the whole is. Much like caring for a baby elephant orphan, there are many factors to give … Continued
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The rains have been blessing our reserve abundantly lately and many parts of South Africa and it’s not gone unnoticed by the elephants! On this walk in the bush, the herd take great advantage of the mud beneath their feet. Klaserie, Setombe, Mambo and Sebakwe in particular enjoy the glorious cooling mud on this rainy … Continued
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Oh, The Tales This Tail Can Tell As humans, we have built all kinds of clever tools to make our daily lives easier, in the name of progress. But something must be said for the ingenuity of having and using the built-in utensils that you were born with. It’s very useful, for instance, when adventuring … Continued
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Last year December, a few weeks before Khanyisa was found and rescued, we experienced the terrible loss of a special young elephant that was loved by so many, far and wide. Mopane – we miss him every day. We cannot help but think of the close bond Mopane and Khanyisa may have had now. No doubt he … Continued
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Jabulani herd Matriarch, Tokwe and the herd We share our reserve, the Kapama Private Game Reserve in South Africa, with many animals. Buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, hippo, impala, beautiful birdlife, elusive caracal and pangolin, and of course elephant… Both wild herds and the Jabulani herd of rescued elephants who have created a herd of their … Continued
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Sleeping Beauty… Young orphan African baby elephants raised and cared for in orphanages seem to prefer sleeping, similar to us humans, in a safe, warm and comfy spot. They enjoy a soft bed of straw or grass to lie on and a multi-coloured blanket to keep them warm when the night-time and their own body … Continued
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Sleeping Sunshine and her sweet pink trunk! Khanyisa was born, like all elephants with an unruly and headstrong trunk, a proboscis or snout that takes its new owner some getting used to. Interestingly, like elephants, we too as humans, use a combination of nasal and oral sounds and if you block your own proboscis while … Continued
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Jabulani’s Skinny Folds African elephants have been wondering around in their wrinkled and ill-fitting full-body suits for about 5 million years, but it wasn’t until 2018 that an in-depth study of their skin revealed the mystery behind their less-than-sleek appearance. An African elephant’s skin is its largest organ and can weigh up to 900 kilograms, … Continued
