Elephant Rescue draws the world's attention

Honour Way client Norman Carr Safaris recently made headlines around the world with an amazing story of a dramatic elephant rescue which has touched people everywhere and all I can say is that I wish I had been there in person to witness this extraordinary event take place. Abraham Banda, Kapani Lodge Manager and Guide, got the photos of the unfolding drama which tell the story better than any words can.

Most conservationists believe that man should not meddle with the natural order and that we should allow nature to run her course however cruel or grim it seems to be. We, at Norman Carr Safaris agree on the whole, unless a wildlife problem has been created by man (for instance in the case of snaring or being trapped in a fence, in which case it's justifiable to intervene) then nature should be left to her own devices. She has a plan.

However - every rule has an exception and the dreadful plight of a baby elephant trapped in the mud of the Kapani Lodge Lagoon and her mother, who had also got stuck trying to save her yesterday had us all in a frenzy of activity. We simply could not stand by and watch them struggle and slowly die. South Luangwa Conservation Society together with our neighbours - ZAWA - the Zambian wildlife authority - agreed with us and the three camps joined forces to try and save the mum and baby. We usually try to keep the newsletters short, but I hope you'll forgive me for making an exception with this one and agree that this story is worth a little extra time and attention.

Gid at Norman Carr Safaris tells the story: “A baby elephant was having a mud bath in front of Kapani Lodge and got stuck. Guests and staff at the lodge heard the baby calling in distress and watched the mother as she tried to help the baby out. In doing so, she herself also got hindered in the sticky clay mud and despite the rest of the herd trying to help them out, they both got stuck fast. At this point Gid called the various local wildlife groups including the South Luangwa Conservations Society (SLCS) and the Zambia Wildlife Authority and, together, they joined forces to save the mother and baby. They started by tying a rope around the baby and after several attempts where it was understandably totally reluctant to leave its mummy, it came free and ran off to the family herd waiting anxiously nearby. All efforts then turned to get the Mum out. The mother, who by then was dehydrated and exhausted, appeared to sense that escape was possible, so when the team went to pull her out of the mud with the help of a tractor, she used her last ounce of strength to drag herself out of what could have been a muddy grave and wandered back to the family and her baby. It was an incredibly emotional day with a happy ending”.

Thank you to the Norman Carr Safaris, SLCS and ZAWA teams who bravely fought to make this a happy ending!