Written by Michelle Henley, Director, Co-Foundation & Principal Researcher at Elephants Alive We have had the privilege of fitting collars and conducting collaring operations as sponsored gifts to special friends or family. We have also had people in ill health participate in collaring operations to capture important memories to carry them through difficult times. Recollaring Intwandamela represented a gift from Jeremy Higgs to his special friend Mike Berry who has been fighting pancreatic cancer. On this occasion we also had five Grandmothers (Gogos) from the community, each with a grandchild participate in the elephant collaring operation, something they had never done before. The Gogos were familiar with Intwandamela as he represented one of their favourite sightings during our monthly Ndlopfu Gogo program where we take Grandmothers to meet elephants and go camping with them in the bush as an immersive conservation experience. How could the intersection between a gentle giant, gracious grannies and the close connection between two friends not lead to an unforgettable day? Intwandamela was first sighted in March 2004 and collared in November 2004. We have followed his footsteps for almost 20 years. We have watched his beautiful tusks grow with each passing month until his registration […]
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