Sarara at STE’s evaluation coronary heart in Samburu Nationwide Reserve © Jane Wynyard/Save the Elephants
Our hearts are heavy on the deaths of Sarara and Yeager. For these of us dwelling in Save the Elephants’ Samburu evaluation camp, the loss is much more sturdy. For a few years, every curious and loveable elephants had been part of our herd in Samburu, northern Kenya.
We have fond reminiscences of Sarara and Yeager loud evening respiratory loudly outside our tents, using our bushes as scratching posts, swimming exuberantly throughout the river, and strolling off with our monitoring collars. We had been so used to their looming presence that our Samburu evaluation camp now feels eerily quiet with out them.
Whereas we love the reality that Weird Tusk and Malaso have started visiting, seemingly adopting the an identical behaviour as Sarara and Yeager, it’s not the an identical as seeing our outdated buddies who visited nearly every day. Their antics captivated everyone in camp – company and film crews alike.
Yeager munching on acacia pods at STE’s evaluation coronary heart in Samburu Nationwide Reserve © Robbie Labanowski/Save the Elephants
When Sarara was speared a yr previously, needing urgent medical consideration, we had been all totally shocked. Nevertheless he recovered quickly, gaining enough energy to make it by means of Kenya’s crippling drought, solely to die by the palms of individuals a yr later.
We might scarcely take into account it when herders reported that they’d found one different carcass merely two weeks afterward the perimeter of Buffalo Springs. I went to go to the carcass and was shocked to see it was my outdated good buddy, Yeager. Yeager, the stately gentleman who first launched Sarara to ‘camp life’ when he was solely a teen, had moreover been killed in his prime. Named after the legendary US verify pilot Chuck Yeager, he was considered one of many oldest and largest elephants throughout the reserve.
On the time that Sarara and Yeager had been killed, huge numbers of untamed elephants had been congregating to the south of Buffalo Springs Nationwide Reserve having enjoyable with the latest, lush grass that had come following the desperately-needed rains. We suspect the bulls obtained right here into battle with herders transferring their livestock by means of the an identical house. It’s a tragic state of affairs that is occurring far too often immediately.
Human-elephant battle is a major subject in northern Kenya. The prolonged drought has solely made points worse and whatever the present rains in December/January, the land is kind of barren as soon as extra which signifies that rivals for property like water and meals stays to be extreme. Our quick response objects are saved awake evening time after evening time attempting to push bull elephants out of shut by cities and responding to urgent requests from communities who’ve misplaced their water or meals present to elephants.
Nevertheless, all hope is not misplaced. Native communities dwelling with elephants proceed to revenue from STE’s Human Elephant Coexistence Toolbox – a ‘recipe’ e-book of 80+ deterrent methods for preserving elephants at bay. A severe focus for our workers this yr is to be sure that these dwelling with elephants, notably in battle hotspots, are empowered with the devices needed to peacefully coexist.
No matter our deep unhappiness, the deaths of Sarara and Yeager have motivated us to work much more sturdy to stop the killings and foster harmony between elephants and folks. We’re going to always honour their reminiscences and proceed to look at and protect their households and buddies – the wild African elephants of the north.
Our beloved good buddy, Sarara, throughout the prime of his life © Robbie Labanowski/Save the Elephants