Over this past holiday season, I got to do something I have been dreaming of since…well, probably since I moved to South Africa. I was hoping to get to do this for my birthday this year, but my never-ceasing-to-be-incredible husband worked it out so that we could go to The Elephant Sanctuary in January! It was absolutely wonderful!
The Elephant Sanctuary takes in abandoned or injured elephants and gives them a home. Some of them were separated from their mothers and not accepted into another herd; others were being poached and the Elephant Sanctuary gave them refuge. This past weekend, hubby, some friends, and I stayed in a game reserve (more on that in the coming days) and I asked the lead ecologist there, what he and his wife (an elephant researcher) thought about the elephant sanctuary. They said some (as in, around the world in general) are just trying to make a profit; others sincerely try to help and do a decent job. This couple hadn't been to the specific sanctuary that hubby and I went to, but they've heard good things about it.
Elephants are absolutely amazing. They are social creatures who depend on and create a strong family structure. They remember and recognize people and each other; they cry; they are extremely loyal. And their babies are the cutest! I can't get over them. (Notice the little ellie that Danielle Moss designed for my footer? :)
We got to feed them, pet them, and I got to ride one! We really couldn't afford for both of us to ride, so my ever sweet and sacrificial husband arranged for me to do it. Love him so much.
I took so many pictures (well, hubby did...I was mostly busy trying to bond with ellies) that I've decided to split the event up into two posts: this one - us with the elles - and the ellies themselves. That one is coming soon!
The Elephant Sanctuary takes in abandoned or injured elephants and gives them a home. Some of them were separated from their mothers and not accepted into another herd; others were being poached and the Elephant Sanctuary gave them refuge. This past weekend, hubby, some friends, and I stayed in a game reserve (more on that in the coming days) and I asked the lead ecologist there, what he and his wife (an elephant researcher) thought about the elephant sanctuary. They said some (as in, around the world in general) are just trying to make a profit; others sincerely try to help and do a decent job. This couple hadn't been to the specific sanctuary that hubby and I went to, but they've heard good things about it.
Elephants are absolutely amazing. They are social creatures who depend on and create a strong family structure. They remember and recognize people and each other; they cry; they are extremely loyal. And their babies are the cutest! I can't get over them. (Notice the little ellie that Danielle Moss designed for my footer? :)
We got to feed them, pet them, and I got to ride one! We really couldn't afford for both of us to ride, so my ever sweet and sacrificial husband arranged for me to do it. Love him so much.
I took so many pictures (well, hubby did...I was mostly busy trying to bond with ellies) that I've decided to split the event up into two posts: this one - us with the elles - and the ellies themselves. That one is coming soon!
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