Freshly Pressed. Naturally Good. Made with Purpose. JabuJuice is handcrafted by the JabuLadies, a community initiative established by Jabulani Safari and HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development) to create sustainable employment and skills development opportunities for women from the neighbouring communities of Hoedspruit. Using locally sourced citrus, the JabuLadies carefully hand-press every bottle in small … Continued
HERD unveils its refreshed identity on World Elephant Day World Elephant Day is a moment to pause and reflect on elephants, the lives they lead, and the responsibility we have to protect them. This year, the day marks another meaningful moment for HERD: the launch of our refreshed brand identity. The story of caring for … Continued
Some names are given once. This one carries two legacies. The Shambira Research Centre honours two lives whose stories became forever intertwined: Israel Shambira, a devoted elephant carer, and Limpopo, a beloved member of the Jabulani herd. Through research, learning and conservation, their legacies continue to shape our commitment to understanding elephants, improving their care … Continued
Every elephant at HERD has a story. Some parts of that story are easy to see. A calf growing more confident. An elephant settling into the herd. A rescued individual learning to trust again. Other parts are invisible. Stress. Recovery. Physiological wellbeing. To understand these, researchers look somewhere unexpected: elephant dung. By analysing naturally occurring … Continued
There is a moment in every orphan’s story at HERD when quarantine ends and the fence comes down between them and the herd for the first time. They can see the other elephants. Smell them. Hear them. But they can’t yet touch them. It turns out this in-between moment, not the loneliness of quarantine, and … Continued
Meet Miané Reynolds, a Master’s student in Zoology at the University of Pretoria whose passion for wildlife endocrinology is helping uncover new insights into elephant welfare. In this guest blog, Miané shares her journey from a lifelong fascination with the natural world to conducting award-winning research with HERD. Through the study of hormones, she explores … Continued
Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD) will host its inaugural Charity Golf Day on 13 October 2026 at Waterkloof Golf Club, bringing together corporate teams, conservation supporters, and the public for a day that combines sport with purpose. Join us for a memorable day on the fairways as we raise vital funds for the rescue, … Continued
This year marked an exciting first for HERD as we took part in Outdoor X, one of South Africa’s leading outdoor lifestyle events.
As the HERD team continues building the in Memory of Limpopo Research Centre, our attention now turns to the inside of the centre: what lies at its heart, and what is needed to make this dream a fully functioning reality? While starting the build is a major accomplishment, setting up a fully equipped research centre … Continued
Following up on our April blog on Lundi’s recovery, we wanted to share where she is now in her healing journey. You can revisit the earlier update here Over the past month, Lundi’s wound has continued to receive dedicated and consistent care. The team has been cleaning it twice daily using HOCl, with an additional … Continued
