The Orphan Elephants at Pilanesberg

Two Stories Connect

The Orphan Elephants in Pilanesburg.

For a baby elephant, family life is everything and losing their mother is the worst possible start in life. The longtime government practice of brutally killing adult elephants to control herd sizes ripped apart the close-knit family unit that is so much part of elephant culture.

The orphaned elephants left behind start exhibiting uncharacteristic agressive behavior: running wild in the bush, sulk, scream, charge at trainers and butting them with their heads, they actually throw tantrums and refuse to come out of the bush until hunger drives them out. They started killing Rhinoceros.

In Pilanesburg:

“Rogue elephants have become a serious problem in Pilanesberg, a small wildlife reserve about 250 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg. 

A young bull charged a group of tourists on a photo-safari. The next day the same elephant attacked and killed a professional hunter who had been sent to shoot it. These are not isolated incidents. Two years ago, another tourist was attacked, chased out of his battered car, and trampled to death in the reserve. "

Now these elephants will eventually become parents, who will have tought them proper training? How can they adjust to society? You can give them food but how to take away the fact that without their mother they feel insecure and suspicious.

“In an attempt to fix the situation, six adult elephants were introduced into Pilanesberg population to see if they could control the "rambunctious" behavior and re-socialize the young orphan elephants.  The experiment is working—it offers a Resonant Reflection.”

Without an adult role model, there is no example of love, of setting limits and discipline. And that’s one of the reasons that things go wrong---

The above story was shared with the orphaned chilldren of Bothshabelo as documented in the documentary "Angels in the dust"