In Zimbabwe, we rescue orphaned elephants, rehabilitate them, and reintroduce them back into the wild.
Problem
Without their mothers, orphaned young calves struggle to find milk and shelter. They struggle to avoid predators. And they struggle with psychological trauma. They struggle, in other words, to survive.
Solution
In 2012, our partner organization, Wild is Life, established the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN), the first in the country. Today, we help them to rescue and rehabilitate the elephants orphaned by poaching and human-wildlife conflict.
Orphaned elephants found in Zimbabwe spend three to five years under the care of ZEN. Each elephant receives personalized attention from full-time keepers, who ensure that elephants get the care they need to survive, and the support they need to thrive.
Once these elephants reach adolescence, they start to outgrow the nursery. At this point, it’s important to help them find a herd—and a place where they can roam.
At ZEN, the orphaned elephants create their own social family structure. So, to find them a home, we worked with government agencies to secure an 85,000 acre habitat in the Panda-Masuie Forest Reserve, converting that land from a hunting concession into a nature reserve where the elephants could be released.
We also engaged local communities to ensure that they can peacefully coexist with the elephants that would be living in their backyard. Six elephants have been introduced into the reserve.
Every problem has a solution, every solution needs support.