What does an elephant lover do for her 30th birthday? She adopts two elephants, of course.
I don’t know where my affinity with elephants came from, but I’ve been drawn to them from a very young age.
Le mini me and my Mamma, circa 1995
There are numerous different organisations which offer animal adoption programs, but I decided to go with Elephant Whispers for the following reasons:
They are local – Elephant Whispers is located in Hazyview, Mpumalanga. As you may (or may not) know, I love supporting local South African companies. I feel like it’s the least I can do to contribute to our economy.
Their elephants are adults – Most other organisations I came across focus on babies to teens.
They are a small organisation – Majority of the other organisations are big, housing a large number of animals, and with international backing. Elephant Whispers on the other hand, is much smaller, with only five elephants.
What does it mean to adopt an elephant?
In a nutshell, it consists of making a donation to assist your chosen organisation with costs pertaining to care for the elephants and maintenance of the establishment.
Your donation will make a significant contribution towards the considerable day-to-day costs of caring for the elephants, veterinary expenses and for food should a bush fire or drought put pressure on the elephant’s natural food supply.
Apart from making a donation to your chosen establishment, you will also receive a number of things in return. In the case of Elephant Whispers, they provide you with:
- A personalised adoption certificate, with a photograph and information on your chosen elephant.
- Exclusive access to your adopted elephant’s personal Facebook page.
- Updates on your elephant via email or WhatsApp.
- Fun elephant facts and interesting elephant information.
- As one of our adopted parents you will always be an important part of the dedicated team who take care of these incredible mammals, who several years ago were to be culled, and were given a chance to live.
How much does it cost?
Prices will vary depending on which organisation you choose. I paid R1,200.00 per ellie to Elephant Whispers, which seems like nothing when you take into account how much these majestic beasts eat on a daily basis, and how much a single vet bill can come to.
With that being said, say hello to my adult children for the next 365 days…
Tembo
Tembo is the largest elephant at Elephant Whispers. His trusting personality truly embodies the description ‘gentle giant’, which can be seen in his interaction with his caregivers and with the rest of the herd.
Andile
Elephant Whispers’ beautiful young female African Elephant who simply loves to eat!
We can be sure that wherever Tembo is, he will be closely shadowed by Andile who absolutely adores him. Andile, being a very smart young lady who likes things to go her own way, seeks Tembo’s company for back-up when her big personality causes a few ructions in the herd!
…relatable!
There are many other animals which you can support via these adoption programs, including rhinos, zebras and giraffes. A quick Google search will give you lots of results.
That brings us to the end of this post. Thanks for reading! If you have, or plan on adopting any animals of your own, feel free to share your experience. Drop a comment or connect with me via Instagram.
Kthanksbye x
