​This much-loved bull has been given a new lease on life as he joins a system he can integrate into. As a mature bull he is able to act as mentor and companion to the younger bulls and resident herd on the reserve. ​
​ERT will follow his journey as he adapts to his new life. A journey that would not have been possible without the support of some passionate individuals, Amakhala Game Reserve and Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve who saw that there was a possibility to improve this elephant’s life, as well as improve the social situation in the reserve he was moved to.​
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The move was done with the sole intention of improving the lives of the elephants on each of the two reserves. It was both ecologically & socially significance to these populations & will have long reaching benefits to the futures of these elephants. This was no small operation and would just not have been possible without the incredible support of Warriors for Africa Wildlife and Ivan Carter.

These bulls have been collared to enable us to monitor how they settle in to their expanded habitat as well as learn from how they integrate and associate with the resident elephant population.

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A release that defied belief.

On the 19th September at 1:30am, a large truck containing 6 elephants arrived at a reserve to drop off some special cargo. After a 14-hour drive, we all eagerly anticipated the approaching moment of release for this herd. When offloading elephants into a new area, one never knows what to expect for those first few hours. From getting them to walk out of the truck itself, to worrying about what their movements will be as they realise they are somewhere different, each herd’s reactions will be unique.

In this case, we need not have been worried. We opened the truck doors & within a few minutes the first elephants tentatively took their first steps in their new home. After a moment of smelling their new surroundings while still on the offloading ramp, they turned as one & started walking away from us & into the quiet darkness. After a few minutes we started hearing their gentle rumbles resonating through the night. Rumbles which we think alerted the resident elephant herd to their presence.

Both this new herd & the resident herd were collared, enabling us to get remote updates of their locations. We watched in amazement as these two herd’s GPS coordinates approached each other. Not only did the resident herd move towards & meet the new herd, they then led them to water.

We were stunned – this new herd would have been extremely thirsty after a full day of travels & here they were being escorted to water by the resident elephant herd who had only just met them. It certainly helped us all rest that much better knowing these elephants were in good company.

These remarkable animals never cease to amaze.

This would not have been possible without Fondation Franz Webber eagerly jumping on board to support this move just in the nick of time. Thanks also to HSI-Africa and Global Supplies we were simultaneously able to collar the herds for monitoring purposes and for the implementation of the immuno-contraceptive program which will be used to humanely control the growth of this population. This initiative and collaboration was certainly a highpoint in the year and we couldn’t be more grateful for such valued partners.

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The first group of elephants were reintegrated onto a large extensive wildlife system about 600km from where they were previously used in elephant back safaris. This project required a translocation to the new reserve with a settling in period for the elephants to acclimatize to the new system before the actual reintegration process took place.

First the elephant herd was placed in a boma (fenced enclosure within their new reserve) which acted as a secure area to operate from while slowly introducing them to their new surroundings. It was here that food and water were provided for them during the evenings and regular health checks could be safely conducted during the initial period of the project.

After about a week or so after arrival, once the elephants settled down at the new reserve, we started to explore the reserve daily with the elephants, walking to the various waterholes located on the reserve. As this was an extensive wildlife system the waterholes were at least eight kilometers  apart from each other which gave the elephants the opportunity to learn a good section of the reserve.

Eventually we stopped choosing where to take them each day when they came out the boma and started allowing them to feed and drink where they preferred. This gave them the opportunity to explore at their comfort level while we monitored their locations using their GPS collars. This showed us they were not reliant on having people around and enjoyed the opportunity to make their own choices of where and at what pace they wanted to move and forage.

​As they repeatedly displayed their self-sufficiency, the final stage of the reintegration process was to give them full freedom of choice. This meant the boma was left open and their behaviour was no longer influenced by us in any way. The open boma was stocked with food and water had the elephants decided they would be more comfortable coming back there during the evening. This was an incredibly exciting yet emotional step for the team as it meant no further interactions would take place with this special group of elephants. The elephants displayed their readiness for this final step by heading out of the boma that day and never returning again.

​Over the following months, we continued to monitor the elephants, checking on their behaviours, health and movement patterns with the help of their GPS collars. There were times that we did not see the elephants for a few days and when we were able to get a visual they did not show us much attention – they were just going about their lives. From the outside looking in, one would never have guessed that they were once captive elephants. Given the chance, their natural instincts had them behaving like wild elephants again.

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