By ffc_admin
In our wilderness in South Africa, we are coming out of a long dry winter that kept us all covered, including little Khanyisa in her woolly and fleece blankets, in the chilly mornings and evenings. The sun is now rising much earlier and setting later, giving us more time in the day for garden grazing … Continued
By ffc_admin
Elephant orphan, Jabulani shares a similar story to Khanyisa. At just 4 months old he was found abandoned in a manmade mud pit. It was clear he had fallen into the hole and was unable to get himself out. He had injuries that proved that his herd must have desperately tried to save him until … Continued
By ffc_admin
The youngest allomother in the herd… But one so beautifully and naturally equipped for the role… is Kumbura, one of the orphan elephants integrated successfully into the herd. Kumbura has taken to Khanyisa just as she did with little Timisa, following the calf everywhere with such tender love and dedicated care and concern. This video … Continued
By ffc_admin
When KumThere is a South African proverb that says: Orphans mourn for each other. In the local language of Sesotho, it is, “Mafutsana a llelana” and it means that people who are poor, troubled or disadvantaged in some way help each other because they know the pain. This couldn’t be more true for Bubi, who … Continued
By ffc_admin
Lovely Limpopo Named after a river in Zimbabwe and a province in South Africa, Limpopo is a typical little Tokwe – her mother and the Matriarch in the herd. She is caring, curious, intuitive, dedicated, protective, and adoring… Sometimes overly so. Limpopo is an intelligent and beautiful young female, very alert to the other elephants’ … Continued
By ffc_admin
From Khanyisa’s initial integration into the herd, as an orphan calf meeting her new family, Klaserie has shown constant curiosity for the little albino elephant, and a real joyful energy that combines perfectly with grace, patience and protectiveness. Klaserie is named after a river in South Africa, that flows past our reserve, the Kapama Private … Continued
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From the beginning when orphan elephant, Kumbura arrived, Sebakwe was the bull who really showed her the most attention and support. The two bonded beautifully and Kumbura even tried to suckle from him. It’s so heartwarming to see the elephants behaving in this way, since usually in wild herds, older males will be in separate … Continued
By ffc_admin
On this glorious day out, young bull, Mambo enjoys a momentous mud bath with Kumbura and Limpopo, before Mom, Lundi joins in. The pair, mother and son, enjoy some very special bonding time applying sand after their time in the mud, loosening the sand with the edges of their strong feet and then tossing it … Continued
By ffc_admin
HERD Operations Manager, Juan Ferreira shares some insight into elephants and their impact on the environment. Elephants are considered as ecosystem engineers, sculpting the landscape they move through and creating microhabitats for smaller mammals and invertebrates as well as facilitating much needed plant diversity. As the Jabulani elephant herd and wild elephant herds in the … Continued
By ffc_admin
It takes guts to raise a baby elephant in the wild African savanna and forests It takes nerves of steel and sometimes, when the little pachyderm is tugging on your tail or the rains just won’t come, it takes patience and a cool head. It also requires the transfer of symbiotic microbial bacteria from the … Continued
