“I had never seen the jungle. They fed me behind bars from an iron pan, till one night I felt I was Bagheera – the Panther – and no mans plaything and I broke the silly lock with one blow of my paw and came away; and because I had learned the ways of men, I became more terrible in the jungle than Shere Khan” – Bagheera, the Panther

― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

I was five years old when I saw The Jungle Book.
Mums then bought me the record and I sang along with Baloo the bear, Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities…..The elephants’ marching number had me marching around the house shouting Up, two, three, four! Keep it up, two three four! Imagine the disappointment I must have felt at the discovery that animals don’t talk or sing or dance.

Or do they?

Eighteen months ago I visited the incredible Thula Thula Private Game Reserve in Kwazulu-Natal and I left there knowing that all animals do indeed talk. It is just that we humans are not well versed in their language!

“I have got ears. And my ears have got ears” – King Louie

If only we were.
I am positive the “Elephants Whisper’s” herd know when there are poachers invading their ‘home’. If only they were able to convey this knowledge to Francoise Anthony and her team.
Unfortunately this is not possible.

As a result Thula Thula is surrounded by an electric fence. The two adult rhinos have been dehorned. They have the freedom to roam the reserve but are surreptitiously guarded around the clock by men with rifles. While I was staying on Thula Thula, I was fortunate enough to visit the Rhino Orphanage. Although situated on the Thula Thula estate, it was operated by the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation.

At that time, in my blog Elephants…..and so much more, I wrote:
“I am not wanting to talk further about these baby rhinos and the terrors that have happened to them with the slaughter of their parents. I prefer to to let them savour the safety and care that they are now being subjected to by the extremely knowledgeable helpers….”

I sighed as I read my words. Unfortunately, earlier this year, five poachers breached the safety of that haven. The result was dire. A worker was assaulted and two baby rhinos perished. When I heard this catastrophic news, my feelings were murderous! I felt a hot, scorching anger that boiled inside of me. How did those poachers have the gall to invade the rhino orphanage? How dare they attack baby rhinos?

“My heart is heavy with the things I do not understand” – Mowgli’s Song

As a mere visitor to Thula Thula, I felt like this. I could not begin to imagine the rage that the rhino orphanage team and everyone involved at Thula Thula must have experienced. An explosive anger and an engulfing despair.
The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation’s primary focus was ensuring that the facility was safe for both people and animals. The Board of Directors made the heart wrenching decision to close permanently the rhino orphanage.
The Rhino Orphanage was no more.

“Now, don’t be angry after you’ve been afraid. That’s the worst kind of cowardice.”

– The Troop-horse

‘Those poachers not only killed two baby rhinos and assaulted a person that was dear to me’, Francoise Anthony, wife of the late Elephant Whisperer thought, ‘their atrocity has resulted in the closure of the entire rhino orphanage. If I accept this, then the poachers have won. I will have permitted them to dominate me and Thula Thula. I cannot allow that to happen.’
Francoise is not one to sit around weeping or ‘gnashing her teeth’. Neither is she one who is prepared to capitulate. Remembering her husband’s dream of creating a safe haven for the animals, she thought: ‘What would he do?’ Her thoughts turned to the desolate, empty shell of the rhino orphanage. Why not modify this building and create a rehabilitation centre for all wounded/orphaned animals not just rhino’s?
Francoise began setting things in motion.

“The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack”

– The Law of the Jungle – The Wolves

I so admire Francoise and her team. They were courageous and didn’t give up. They wanted to continue the dream. After the orphanage atrocity, people donated towards the security fund raising campaign from all around the world. This made Francoise realise that people loved Thula Thula and the concept of the rhino orphanage as much as she did.
The animals must smile to themselves with this knowledge!

The Fundimvelo Thula Thula Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre was established!
It is an exciting partnership between the Thula Thula Game Reserve,  Fundimvelo Community Conservation Trust and the international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS. It’s aim is to take in all injured and orphaned wildlife. There they will be treated and cared for and then gradually rehabilitated back into the wild. It was evident from the rhino orphanage’s demise that security was now paramount.

A state of the art security system has been installed. CCTV cameras are activated even before the premises are approached. These cameras contain motion detectors and analytics which automatically detect anyone trying to enter the area surrounding the rehabilitation centre. An infra-red motion detector and heat sensor are able to differentiate between animal and human movement. In addition to all of this high-tec, Bruce the dog has joined the rehabilitation team and will inevitably play an important role as a four legged security guard!

On hearing of these precautions, I want to stand on a mountain top and ululate long and loud. You cowardly, spineless, hacker of rhinos, don’t you dare set a foot near that Rehabilitation Centre! You will be decimated!!!

Francoise was aware that a project like this needed the help of the local community in order for it to survive. She asked a well known Sangoma from the hills of Zululand to come and throw his blessings all around the Centre. A Sangoma is a traditional Zulu healer who communes with the unknown spiritual terrain of the ancestors. By doing so all the ‘bad spirits’ would be done away with. High technology meets Zulu tradition and culture! He did so with vigour and enthusiasm. Thus she has ensured that the Zulu community is on her side!

The Tiger? ……He hates man with a vengeance, you know that, because he fears man’s gun and man’s fire!”
– Baloo

I think of the recent fires on the Garden Route. Fires which were horrifying for the people and terrifying for the animals. The humans knew what was happening. The animals didn’t. They saw the flames and one thought entered their minds – FIRE: Get away! And they ran. They ran this way. They ran that way. They didn’t know in which direction to run! Everywhere there were red, hot, leaping flames! This fire made me realise that it is not just the big five that need rehabilitation and help. When disasters occur, all animals are caught up in the devastation. Monkeys, baboons, leopard, tortoise, buck, even the ghost ‘Knysna elephant’ were all made homeless if not injured in the fires.

How I wished Francoise’s Rehabilitation Centre was closer and so could have helped those traumatised animals!

Keep it up, two three four!

The post Keep it up, two three four! appeared first on 'ear 'ear! by Gaynor Young.

They say that elephants never forget.
I beg to differ. I think that on Thula Thula Game Reserve, the female elephants have forgotten to take their daily contraceptive pills! What started out as a herd of seven has now exploded to a wonderful twenty-nine! And unlike humans, there are no condoms available for male elephants! In actual fact, with elephants it is the male that is given the contraceptive. The males are injected from the air by the vet, Mike Toft, every six months.
In his book,The Elephant Whisperer, Lawrence Anthony says: ” …any game ranger will tell you that if you decide to dart rhino for relocation to other reserves, the day you go out to do so there will not be a rhino around for love or money. Yet the day before, you saw them all over the place. Somehow they knew you were after them and simply vanished. The next week when you only want to dart buffalo, the rhino you couldn’t find will be standing by watching you.”
I think that the elephants are leading Mike Toft a merry dance every six months!

But dance or not, the injections don’t seem to be working. No matter how many injections penetrate those male hides, the herd continues to increase.

The bigger the herd, the more land is needed. They are outgrowing the space that they now inhabit. One could cull them, but that goes against everything Thula Thula stands for. One hears ‘Thula Thula‘ and one instantly thinks: Elephant!
Culling is not an option.
So, more land was needed. Francoise Anthony, the owner of Thula Thula put out feelers and the local community donated an additional 3500 hectares of land to the Game Reserve. This is unbelievably generous of them, you may be thinking. Yes, it is generous but the people see that it will mean more employment for them. That land will need to be fenced, new roads will be built, security and land management will need to be increased. The area will be opened up to more visitors. A place that has more visitors is bound to generate more work.

When the seven elephants first came to Thula Thula, Lawrence Anthony set about electrifying the fences surrounding the game reserve. In his book The Elephant Whisperer he says:
“However, with elephants, which are stronger than a truck, it’s a different ballgame altogether. You have to spike the fences with enough mega-volts to hold a five ton juggernaut.
The electrical force is designed not to injure the animals; it’s only there to warn them off.”
I laugh at the fact that despite this the fence didn’t keep the elephants in. They were able to withstand the mega-volts and simply knocked the impediment aside and went on their way. It was only when they decided that Thula Thula was no threat to their freedom that they accepted everything the fence was saying to them. The fence didn’t present a barrier to them. It merely served as a reminder of the boundaries in which they roamed. Now that these boundaries are being extended, additional fencing is required. This new electrical fence is unfortunately incredibly expensive.

“Money makes the world go around, the world go around….”
This refrain from Cabaret echoes in my head as I think on the vast amount of money needed to build this fence. 350 000 dollars! Dollars not Rands. Multiply it by 17 the current exchange rate and you get a preposterous amount of South African Rands.

Francoise has hit upon a wonderful way in which to raise this money.
                                                                                   ‘Adopt an Ellie!’

Me, my family, my nieces and nephew’s schools, my brother’s company, in fact ANYONE can ‘Adopt an Ellie’. Francoise has created a wonderful Thula Thula elephant family tree from which ‘we’ can select our personal favourite! You pay R250/$30 (outside SA) per month, and in return receive a photograph of your elephant along with a brief history. You will be regular updated on it’s progress; how it spends it’s days….etc, etc and an even bigger etc!
Can you imagine the learning potential for children? I can see a photograph of one of Thula Thula’s elephants on a fridge door or in a school classroom. The discussion about the elephant would be interesting and informative. Children might have seen elephants in films like Jungle Book or Dumbo. To actually “own” one is a different case completely! As a lover of nature and wildlife, I would find it incredibly interesting. More importantly, we will all be helping preserve elephants for future generations.

Isn’t it sad that we live in a time where our glorious wildlife has to be protected, fenced in, to survive? Soon the little rhinos in the Thula Thula’s rhino orphanage will be released into the reserve. They will need 24/7 armed protection. Just recently a baby elephant was caught in a trap. He was freed but think how much worse it would be with no fence to keep the poachers out. On one of our game drives during my recent stay, we came across a tunnel that had been dug under the fence. Poachers are vermin that need to be kept out at all cost. That is the one of the main purposes of the fence. Not so much to keep the animals in but rather to keep the poachers out.

I have a friend who is going to join me in paying R250 a month to “Adopt an Ellie”. What we are really doing, of course, is keeping all of Thula Thula’s animals safe by building a fence! We have our hearts set on Susanna. She turns six this year. How I wish that this scheme was already in operation when I visited Thula Thula last year. Then I could have met my ‘child’! I will have to see what I can organise for this year.
After all, Susanna and I will need to see each other. Regularly!!!

If you are interested in ‘Adopting an Ellie” please contact:

Francoise – email: marketing@thula-thula.co.za 

The post A Problem of Jumbo Proportions! appeared first on 'ear 'ear! by Gaynor Young.

I took my I-Pad out onto the balcony to read and write. As I sat sipping a glorious cup of tea, I thought to myself: You are finally here. You are at Thula Thula game reserve.
I smiled.

Thula Thula is the game lodge that was started by Lawrence Anthony and his wife, Francoise. I had read his book The Elephants Whisperer in which I had met the herd of elephants with whom Lawrence had formed a unique bond. They had taught him about love, freedom and loyalty.
Lawrence Anthony died three years ago but Francoise has maintained his vision. Thula Thula is a home to the elephants and countless wildlife and Francoise has recently founded a rhino orphanage. It was all here.
Waiting for me.

A small monkey sat catching the evening rays of sunlight. He made such a perfect picture.Gently he picked at something on the ground and chewed contentedly. How I wished that I could capture his essence on film. All around him were clusters of monkeys eating, chasing one another or simply sitting in groups and, I would imagine, chatting!

A giraffe seemed to move with galleonic grace up the dried riverbed before me. He stopped, regarded me calmly and then the galleon moved on, swaying regally out of sight.

To my left a Nyala buck silently ate her evening meal. Her tail, like a pendulum, swung left, right, left, right, rigorously keeping time. I went forward, wanting to see her more closely. Her head slowly lifted and her eyes met mine. I didn’t move. Neither did she. A long moment passed. Then she broke the connection, turned and ambled off into the gathering dusk.

Thula Thula opened her wings and spread them softly around me.

The next morning I was off on my first game drive. We turned a corner and there they were.
The elephants!
I couldn’t believe that I was looking at the elephants I had read about in The Elephant Whisperer. So many of them. And we were so close. They were aware of us but continued to do what they were doing. There was Nana, the wise matriarch and Frankie, her warrior sister. I was amazed at their calm acceptance of these gawking onlookers. I could have stayed there for a long time, watching and absorbing these incredible creatures but granting them their privacy, we moved on.

The rhino orphanage was fascinating. Francoise is ultra protective of these orphans whose parents were hacked to death before their eyes in the most grotesque and horrifying manner. I am not wanting to talk further about these baby rhinos and the terrors that have happened to them. I prefer to to let them savour the safety and care that they are now being subjected to by Francoise and her extremely knowledgeable helpers.
I remember going to a game reserve as a child. We would laugh and marvel at the rhino’s long horn on his nose before driving past and commenting on the mass of Springbok somersaulting their leaps in front of us. Those days of carefree laughter at the rhino’s long horn are over.
In Thula Thula, they have two adult rhino living on the reserve. These rhino are guarded 24/7 by a team of highly trained anti-poaching rangers. This is a war they are engaged in, and it is a war they are not prepared to lose. They are constantly raising funds for the training of the anti-poaching team with the Thula Thula Rhino Fund.

I went for a five kilometre walk with Shandu and Shiva. Twenty metres into our walk I stopped and said apologetically to them: “I’m sorry, I am not going to manage this walk. With my brain damage, I find it very difficult not walking on a straight, smooth pavement-like surface. You go on and I’ll see you back at camp.”
They wouldn’t hear of me simply giving up and insisted I continue. I had Shiva to cling onto and Frances Park Ross to push me up the hills from behind. That’s what school friends are for! Those two men were encyclopaedic about wildlife. They were able to name every bush, flower, animal and bird. I even learnt which flower has little black seeds in it, which can poison an unwanted husband and leave no trace!

Francoise is the most extraordinary person. She is a woman that simply lights up a room when she steps into it. She has that magical magnetism that draws people to her. They listen with interest to that delightfully low pitched French voice. She is the magic that enchants one at Thula Thula. Lawrence’s elephants are the draw card to Thula Thula. It is she, nevertheless, that holds together the wonderful world that makes Thula Thula cast it’s enthralling spell.

I first heard the words ‘Thula Thula‘ when my sister, Megan, was a baby, I remember Letty, who worked for us at the time, rocking her to sleep. Her rich Zulu voice would sing:

Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,
Thul’u babuzo ficka, eku seni. (repeat)
Kukh’in khan-yezi, zi-holel’ u baba,
Zim-khan yi-sela indlel’e ziyak-haya,
Sobe sik hona xa bonke be-shoyo,
Be-thi bu-yela u-bu-ye le khaya,
Thula thula thula baba,
Thula thula thula sana,
Thula thula thula baba,
Thula thula thula san.

(English…)
Keep quiet my child
Keep quiet my baby
Be quiet, daddy will be home by dawn
There’s a star that will lead him home
The star will brighten his way home
The hills and stones are still the same my love
My life has changed, yes my life has changed
The children grow but you don’t know my love
The children grew but you don’t see them grow

Thula Thula soothed Megan and put her to sleep. It has left my dreams rich with elephants, giraffe, zebra, rhino, delicious food and a laughing French accent…….

*

***

If you would like to learn more about the Thula Thula Rhino fund please click here!

The post Elephants……………and so much more!!! appeared first on 'ear 'ear! by Gaynor Young.

“But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those that we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves.”

As I mentioned in my blog “Shocking” last week, when Lawrence Anthony, the author of The Elephant Whisperer died, an amazing thing happened. The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years previously as pests, were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony. These two elephant herds arrived at the family compound shortly after Anthony’s death. They reached the main house in a solemn procession on Sunday 4th of March, two days after he passed away. They stood around for a couple of hours, waiting, as if they knew something terrible had happened. It is now three years since Lawrence died. Each year on the 4th of March, the elephants return to his home to pay homage to the man they loved.
Wishing to use a pictures of Lawrence Anthony, in my blog “Shocking“, I contacted his wife, Francoise. She sent me photographs and we got “chatting” via Social Media. She is the owner of Thula Thula Game Reserve. It is there that the “Whisperer” saved his herds of elephants. Thula Thula takes pride in tracing it’s origin back to the private hunting grounds of King Shaka, founder of the Zulu Empire. The first historic meeting between Shaka and his father, Senzangakhona, which set the stage for the creation of the Zulu Nation, took place at the Nseleni River at Thula Thula. The Zulu name: Thula Thula literally means peace and tranquility.
Francoise sent me a video of her speaking at a Canadian conference earlier this year about Lawrence and her work with their elephants and rhinos. The two rhinos with their protective bodyguards, I found totally engaging. It explains Thula Thula’s stance on rhino horn poisoning which featured on South Africa’s current affairs program Carte Blanche last week. It is both fascinating and thought provoking. I asked Francoise if I could show it to the world via my blog. She readily agreed. Share with me the delight and awe I experienced while observing the elephants and rhinos. They are such incredible creatures that we must “help, rescue and protect.”
It is essential that they are shielded from destruction and annihilation.

[button link=”http://www.ideacityonline.com/video/encounters-elephants-francoise-malby-anthony/” style=”info” window=”yes”]View Video[/button]

The post “Just chew your nails!” appeared first on 'ear 'ear! by Gaynor Young.