Shirley Naegeli

Do elephants remember who was kind to them? Yes – and for many years. We've come to know a great many wild bulls who have visited regularly since our Ithumba Unit was established. They come because, over the years, they've learned it's safe. The clearest proof is a bull we call Dad, a handsome tusker who has fathered at least two of our wild-born calves. Back in 2015, Dad arrived carrying wounds from a poisoned arrow, and he’d brought two injured companions with him. It’s not hard to conclude he led them to Ithumba because he understood they’d be helped there. All three were treated and recovered. It remains a great privilege each time a wild elephant takes sanctuary around Ithumba, and each visit reaffirms the bond of trust we share with them. Have you had the privilege of seeing an elephant in the wild? If so, how did it change the way you see them?