Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
A trunk call is but an elephant away
FAMOUS for their beautiful herd of elephants, this 4 500ha private game reserve is situated 45 minutes from Richards Bay harbour and airport, and is less than 2 hours drive from Durban.
the baby elephant is in front of two sleeping rhinos.
“She wants to play,” says the guide, while I, along with the guests, look on.
We are on a mission to learn more about elephants, and hopefully spot a leopard and other animals during our game drive.
Bella, clearly pleased with herself, continues to play, much to the dismay of the rhinos. It’s evident they want her to leave, but her strong will to make friends reigns supreme.
Eventually, when her mission fails, she returns to the herd of elephants at a water hole nearby.
In fact, the best selling book
The Elephant Whisperer, written by Lawrence Anthony, an acclaimed conservationist and an international best-selling author, was centred around the rescue of the elephants here, and the special relationship he formed with the herd.
As we drive, several gentle giants come towards us. It’s a sight to behold. The three men behind me are terrified. They are afraid they will strike at us. But their fears are calmed by our game driver. He tells us the elephants have never shown signs of aggression towards visitors and are not threats.
Meanwhile, another herd of elephants are at the water hole, clearly showing off their massive physique.
One of them, a calf, sneakily splashes water on me as it tries to quench its thirst from the blazing heat.
During the two-hour game drive, we learned that elephants drink around 250 litres of water and consume around 200-300 kilograms of food a day.
We also came across a cute little duiker named Lucy. The South African Police Service found her captive, most likely to be sold as a pet or used as meat.
By the end of my trip, I had a new appreciation for what the reserve is doing for the elephant and rhino population.
They opened the Fundimvelo Thula Thula Wildlife
Rehabilitation centre in May last year. The centre is created in partnership with Thula Thula Game Reserve, Fundimvelo Community Conservation Trust and international animal welfare organisation Four Paws, for the purpose of rescue, care and protection of wildlife, conservation education and community involvement.
Thula Thula, with its centuries of cultural and wildlife heritage, takes pride in tracing its origin to the private hunting grounds of King Shaka, founder of the Zulu Empire. The first historic meeting between Shaka and his father (Senzangakhona), which set the stage for the creation of the Zulu nation, took place at the Nseleni River at Thula Thula.