elephant

Happy World Nature Conservation Day!!
Here at White Elephant, we are extremely proud of the partnerships we have built to achieve the goal we all believe in... and that is in the young youth of today. It is our responsibility to give them the experiences and knowledge of our environment, wildlife and cultures because no one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced. By giving them these opportunities and speaking out about the beauty and fragility of the natural world, we are teaching our youth to love and understand nature, which will inspire them to take action and protect it
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future” David Attenborough

World elephant Day …… how desperate do our largest land mammals need this DAY!

Their peaceful existence is in the very fragile hands of humans. Some people might not want to hear this.. Due to loss of habitat and fragmentation, fences and management plans, blocking of historical migration routes and no financial value, their majestic presence has become a burden worldwide.

An amazing and extraordinary event took place on Monday 15 March 2021 when our Pongola Game Reserve elephants walked up to the top of the highest crest of the Ubombo Mountains spending all day in full view of the Myeni community at Mavela and Wildlife Spirit. On a clear day, from this elevated position, one can see the coastal dunes of Maputaland and the hills of Nongoma, the Heart of Zululand.

The pass they took to ascend to the mountain top is known amongst the local community as "isihlalo sendlovu" - the saddle of an elephant. This was the first time that they had walked as far as the top of the escarpment in full view of the neigbouring community.
We contemplated if this unusual event was a show of respect to the AmaZulu nation for the late King Goodwill Zwelinthini kaBhekuzulu, who passed away on Friday 13 March 2021.
"We will never know Mr Heinz, but there's a reason for this," Sakhile from Wildlife Spirit replied.

The burgeoning number of elephant is always a controversial and sensitive subject within the conservation community. Control measures have been widely employed to limit the growth of elephant within South Africa, and by 2008 the rapidly growing numbers in the Pongola Game Reserve soon came under the spot light. With the assistance of the ‘Disney Animal Program’ seven elephant underwent vasectomies. Although this team had perfected the procedure there was little investigation into the long-term behavioural implications of this form of contraception.

Herewith our September Newsletter. It contains a profile of Heike Zitzer, some funny images of animals caught by our camera traps and a fantastic special offer. Enjoy.