Undisclosed Location, South Africa (06 February 2024) – Little (or not so little anymore) Phabeni, is taking some big steps into getting to know his future herd at HERD.
The HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development) Elephant Orphanage is the first of its kind in South Africa. It is vital to have wildlife orphanages as poaching is rife in South Africa, and often calves are left to fend for themselves after their mothers have been poached.
The orphanage was established near an adoptive herd. The Jabulani herd at the Kapama Private Game Reserve is mainly made up of orphaned elephants. The herd has been welcoming to any orphaned elephants that have needed a family structure. Elephants rely heavily on their family structure, so having an adoptive herd is excellent!
In case you missed it, Phabeni was initially found in the garden of a woman who lived near the Kruger National Park. After she realised that the little elephant in the garden appeared to be completely on his own, she reached out for help and help arrived!
The HERD team have slowly been introducing Phabeni to the various members of the herd. The team shared the amazing update in their latest newsletter (and some incredible videos to accompany the heartwarming moments).
We were holding our breaths as Phabeni rushed over to Lundi for this meeting! Lundi surrounded him immediately, protectively reversing toward him and touching his trunk with her own. It was an absolutely heartwarming introduction – the second for Phabeni, after the little bull first met the older bull, Jabulani trunk-to-trunk.
Lundi was clearly excited by the occasion as you could see her streaming from the temporal lobe, on the side of her head, which happens during a state of heightened emotion. She seemed to be uncertain of what to do at first as this new little baby presented himself in front of her, but we believe the presence of Jabulani helped to keep her calm.
Lundi shares her section of the homestead at HERD with Jabulani, where she sleeps at night with her son Mambo too. Our hope is that Lundi might take Phabeni in as her second son, to help raise and guide him the way she did Khanyisa. But you never know… during these introductions another cow might show interest in taking on this role as mother to the newest orphan at HERD.
Time will tell. For now, we are blown away by the bravery and coolness of little Phabeni. He is so clever and adapts quickly to each new situation he finds himself in. He seems very ready to be part of this new elephant family! We are fortunate in this case as he has not needed as much rehabilitation as albino baby, Khanyisa needed, and so this introduction stage has come sooner and faster.
Well done to our team on the ground and to these three elephants for showing the world that families can look different from the norm, that we can build our own families, and that no one ever needs to be left behind or alone.