Comment
Press Release – 14 September 2025
It is with profound sadness that HERD confirms a tragic incident that took place on Saturday, 13 September 2025.
While the elephants were out in the bush on the reserve, Limpopo pushed down a tree shortly after 3pm. Carers Stavros, Godknows, and Joshua went to fetch additional staff to help clear the road. Israel, one of our senior carers, was seated nearby under a tree. Moments later, Limpopo unexpectedly turned her attention towards Israel and fatally gored him. Despite immediate efforts from his colleagues, nothing could be done.
We are deeply shocked by this incident. Limpopo’s behaviour was entirely unexpected and unprovoked. At HERD, we have created a home and sanctuary for elephants in need of refuge or a traumatic past and to give orphans a second chance. Limpopo is Tokwe’s firstborn and the first within the herd who has never experienced a traumatic past.
Israel was one of the original carers who arrived with the elephants from Zimbabwe in March 2002. He was a man of faith, known for his daily prayers in the vegetable garden and his unwavering dedication to HERD. Trusted, dependable, and deeply respected, Israel was always ready to assist beyond his duties. He often walked with Sebakwe, another elder of the herd, in quiet companionship at the close of each day, symbolic of the wisdom and calm he brought to our community.
Elephant Manager, Tigere Matipedza, expressed:
“We don’t know what went through Limpopo’s mind and why she did it. Just this morning, everything in the bush was calm, with no signs of agitation among the elephants.”
HERD Advisor Brett Mitchell, from the Elephant Reintegration Trust, has been called in to provide guidance. He will remain on site in the coming days as we carefully assess the situation. No decisions will be taken hastily, as the implications of this event affect both carers and elephants profoundly.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Israel’s family, his wife and eight children, during this devastating time. Israel was cherished by us all at HERD, and his absence will be deeply felt.
On behalf of the HERD team and management, we extend our heartfelt condolences and support to his loved ones.
Media Contact
HERD MEDIA and PR Team
Email: media@herd.org.za
Phone: +27 63 035 0507
Website: https://herd.org.za/
Support Israel’s Family
We are raising funds to support his beloved wife and children during this time, to help them as they continue on without him. If you would like to support, please visit https://herd.org.za/product/in-memory-of-carer-israel-shambira-family-fund/
My sincere prayers to the family of Israel. May God give them the strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss. May Israel’s soul Rest In Peace 🙏
My sincere condolences to the family of Israel and to everyone who knew him at HERD .
Sending love and courage your way . Hope light can be shed on this tragic event and you may find an explanation for Limpopo’s behaviour . Blessings .
Lieve .
I’m so profoundly sorry for what you’re going through. Please know you are being supported and held during this tragic time by so many from afar. Sending love, prayers and strength to Israel’s family and the entire HERD family. Rest in peace dear, loving Israel.
Much love to Adine and the HERD family
condolences to Israel family
May your soul rest in peace 🕊️ you put up a good fight Tsano, what a tremendous loss💔
This is such a tragic incident. Heartfelt condolences to his family and all those at HERD. Please let me know if there is something we can do to support his family during this time
Thank you for wishing to support Israel’s family in this difficult time. Please visit the following link for donations and use “Israel” as a reference: https://herd.org.za/donate/
My heart is breaking for both Israel and Limpopo. I believe being a Carer for these large animals comes with some danger, and even though you can feel comfortable and safe around them we still need to be careful because any animal can be unpredictable. at times. I personally feel Limpopo was either spooked or startled and I believe in my heart she was just protecting herself in her mind. We all Animals lovers have to be reminded that these are animals and as much as we love and want to believe they’re very similar to humans they’re still animals. Again, so sorry for your loss HERD team. Sending lots of love and prayers your way. ❤️🙏🏻🐘❤️
Again, I am very sorry for Israel and his family.
I am very worried about Limpopo, I trust Herd will make the wisest decision, but nothing should happen to Limpopo. I know my opinion is meaningless as you are the ones with the most knowledge, but I strongly feel we can’t expect animals to always act in ways that are predictable. Obviously the staff will have to rethink how casually they are amongst the elephants, but I hope there are no big changes and it becomes clear to the staff what happened and they will find a way to trust Limpopo in the future.
Best wishes to you all., may time help heal the trauma of this moment and may you all be well.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Gibbs
My thoughts and prayers are with Israel’s wife and children and entire family, his friends and fellow Carers at HERD, Dear Adine and all the Jabulani Elephants. I am so very sorry.
So very sorry for this tragic loss , we may never know what caused Limpopo to have this action , thinking of his wife and 8 children . As well as the other carers
My deepest condolences.
our sincere condolences to Israel’s family, especially his wife and children, and to all his friends in the HERD family. Dedicating your life to take care of wild animals is a very special thing. Our love and thoughts are with everyone at HERD, the humans and the elephants during this very tragic time.
So terribly sad for you all… what a beautiful soul….love and kindness to you all…
I am so very sorry. My deepest, most sincerest condolences to Israel’s wife and children, and his HERD family. No words can take this pain away. I pray in time, and God’s grace, his memory will bring joy and happiness. not the pain and tears. His dedication and devotion to his family and to the herd truly is an inspiration. May God welcome him home with love and peace.
Please set up a go fund me for his wife and children. Thank you!
Thank you for your kind words and for wishing to support Israel’s family in this difficult time. We have created a dedicated link on our Wishlist for contributions towards Israel’s family: https://herd.org.za/product/in-memory-of-carer-israel-shambira-family-fund/
As a registered NPO, we ensure that all donations are allocated as specified, and these funds will be given directly to Israel’s family.
To the Shambira family and the Herd family. Sending condolences to you all for the heartbreaking loss of Israel. He now walks beside you and watches over you, with God. Rest peacefully, Israel. Your smile lit up the world.
I am so sorry for his family… one cannot always account for what an animal will do.
In honor of Israël, I just made a donation of $100 for his Family
Will try to do it again next month
May his memory be a source of comfort and courage for his Family, his fellow Carers and the whole Herd Team
With all my gratitude to Israël for the dedicated work accomplished with the Ellies for many years
Thank you for your kind words and for supporting Israel’s family in this difficult time. Your support means a great deal to Israel’s wife and children.
We have created a dedicated link on our Wishlist for contributions towards Israel’s family if you wish to donate next month: https://herd.org.za/product/in-memory-of-carer-israel-shambira-family-fund/
Such awful news! I’m so sorry for your loss and praying for strength to Israel’s family and friends during this difficult time. RIP Israel and thank you for your kind heart and hard work. :'(
I just made a donation which I want to go to Israel’s family, but was unable to note that on the form. Please see that they receive my donation Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words and for wishing to support Israel’s family in this difficult time. We have received your confirmation and allocated it to Israel’s family fund. Thank you for your amazing support.
Can you start a go fund me for his family? I am so sorry for everyone’s loss❤️
Thank you for your kind words and for wishing to support Israel’s family in this difficult time. We have created a dedicated link on our Wishlist for contributions towards Israel’s family: https://herd.org.za/product/in-memory-of-carer-israel-shambira-family-fund/
As a registered NPO, we ensure that all donations are allocated as specified, and these funds will be given directly to Israel’s family.
My condolences to the family may the Holy Spirit comfort them in these trial times
My sincerest condolences to Israel and his family, both families. Herd is a family too. God bless you for all your hard work. I know you are struggling to understand but kindness and patience will provide you with strength and guidance. My heartfelt sympathies to all of you.
my condolences to Israel and his extended family. such tragic news 🙁
I made a donation of $20 to the fund for Israel May he rest in peace. 🙏
My condolences to his family and all the team at HERD.
My heart is filled with sadness for Mr. Israel’s wife and children. I am also heartbroken for everyone he worked with at herd. This is truly tragic.
RIP to this Wonderful Man
Firstly, there is no words to express the shock of reading about the tragic incident. A life spent in service of these elephants is never easy. My prayers go out to all affected. I pray God comfort and keep you all in this time of sadness. May Israel find rest and peace
It’s is with heavy hearts that we learn of the tragic death of Israel. We send our sincere condolences to his loved ones and his colleagues at Herd. We also pray for Limpopo that her future will be guaranteed.
I am so sorry and deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident. My sincere condolences to Israel’s family and everyone in the HERD family. I can only imagine how shocked everyone must be at Limpopo’s actions, given that we know the carers have always been ever careful and alert to their behaviours. Surely something has triggered a chain of events that led to this and, hopefully, an explanation will be found. Thinking of you all. With love, Lesley.
My heart breaks for the entire organization and ISREAL and his family. God bless the work he did and he was a man with many gifts with his family and you at Herd.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved but mainly with Israel’s family and friends as well as the elephant that he took care of (I think it was sebakwe) … I’m sure the elephant is confused by not having its carer there… unfortunately I can’t donate but I will continue to pray for everyone
My condolences and I hope Limpopo get through this
I am so very sorry. I’m glad you have an elephant consultant and also a way to donate for the family. I wonder what Tokwe thinks?
My sincere condolences to Israel‘s family. We must not forget that these are animals which are supposed to live wild with no human interference. One can care about them and protect them. But their instincts grave for freedom. Please, do not blame the elephant. We all are just „strangers“ to them even if we try to save them.
I am in utter shock and despair over reading what occurred last Saturday. I deeply sorry to Israel’s family and the entire HERD family. The carers, as well as the elephants must be traumatized by this tragic event. My heart goes out to everyone. Although it will probably never be known what prompted this awful situation, I hope Limpopo is ok. She may have something going on that just hasn’t presented itself yet.
My heart and my prayers are with everyone that has been impacted by this tragedy.
my hearts breaks for His family, friends, the HERD and all the lives he touched. so deeply sorry. may you have strength and guidance through your grief and devastating loss much love and prayers 🙏 ❤️
May his dear soul rest in peace. please support his family financially.
With this tragic event you have landed between the Devil & The Deep Blue Sea as they say. There is no clear cut answer here nor should there be anything done in haste. No matter which way you turn you’ll come across 10 reasons why you should and 10 more why you shouldn’t go that way. The point is that there is NO answer to this…mostly because of who she is, and who YOU are. Always remember, these are ELEPHANTS and not humans. Yes, they are highly intelligent compared to other animals but they are still instinctual creatures…animals who can think to some extent but they are still wild animals subject to their own whims and those instincts. Time will reveal a pathway and you do have time. There is no rush to finalize anything. I would advise you do nothing to her. Remember WHO she is and who her mother is to this herd. Give time what it needs…and all time ever needs is TIME!
RIP Isreal and prayers for his family 😥🙏Just last week myself [from New Zealand] and 2 other ladies visited elephant moments and were so impressed with the carers and enchanted by the 3 bulls and how calm they were..we are so very sad to hear about poor Isreal and Limpopo..please look after the Elephant and support Isreals family going forward xxx Surely that’s what Isreal would want. Arohanui (much love❤️) from your friends here at the bottom of the world 🌎 xx
God bless you Sir.
I am so very sorry to hear of this tragic death my heart goes out to his family
Our profound and heartfelt condolences to the family of Israel and his HERD family. We send of prayers and our love to all.
We are grateful for all of HERD every day.
Thank you for providing a link so we might be of support to Israel’s wife and children.
Ben and Cacy