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 they had no choice but to leave him for the sake of the rest of the herd. Fortunately, he was discovered in time, and Lente Roode (Adine’s mother) nursed him, rehabilitated him and reared him.

Image by Carer Willinton

In this 10 minute video, you can see a few flashback clips of Khanyisa’s early days with Jabulani, before she started to spend more time with her adoptive mother, Lundi.

Jabulani may be young, at only 24 years of age, but he has a beautiful reliable demeanor and in human terms, the fatherliness that he displays toward little Sunshine. He has a lovely influence on her in the herd, and he has on us. As an orphan himself, rescued in 1997 at 5 months old, he understands the journey Khanyisa is on.

When it comes to fathers, Jabulani is still a little boyish… but he is an extremely affectionate, interested, engaged and supportive figure as a bull in the lives of the little elephants around him. He was the first elephant to show great interest, for instance, in Khanyisa while the calf was rehabilitating at the orphanage. So when it came time to start to gradually integrate her into the herd, Jabulani was the first to take the step to meet Khanyisa trunk to trunk without the fence between them. It was a sensational moment for us and a little scary but Jabulani showed absolute calmness, patience and openness to her.

Today Jabulani is truly a remarkable elephant, friendly and very good-natured. He is kind, loving, playful and loves receiving attention, whether from other elephants, or his carers. His mind is very active and enquiring, and he is always watching what is happening around him, wanting to be part of the action.

Image by Ruan Roos

As second in the hierarchy among the bulls, Jabulani is gaining in respect and status in the herd and stepping into more of a role of discipliner, like Sebakwe, Fishan and Somopane, keeping the young bulls, Mambo and Zindoga in check. Each of the bulls disciplines the youngsters in their own way.

Click HERE to foster Jabulani and assist us with supporting him.

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