Want to join us in protecting rescued baby elephants?
At the beginning of the 20th century, the African elephant population was estimated to be around 12,000,000. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was estimated to be around 350,000. That's a 97% decline. Elephants need our help!Mutaanzi David, or MD for short, is the very first wild-born baby elephant of a former orphan from Game Rangers International’s Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia.
MD’s mother, Chamilandu, was only 18 months old when her own mother was shot by poachers, leaving her a helpless orphan in 2007. ‘Chamma’ eventually graduated from the orphanage and became a mini-matriarch to the other orphans at Game Rangers International’s Release Facility in Kafue National Park, which is one of the largest parks in all of Africa.
At around 9 years of age, Chamma began her reintegration back into the wild and it wasn't long before she became pregnant and returned to the facility, and her human family in Kafue, to safely give birth to adorable little MD--the ultimate validation of all the hard work of the GRI team.
But what do you do when you’re blessed with a brand new baby elephant and lions decide to start circling your camp like never before?You add a sophisticated surveillance camera system to help safeguard the precious new life. Without a typical adult-sized natal herd, MD and the other orphans become extremely vulnerable as easy prey to predators. A professional camera system would give the rangers and elephant keepers the best warning to a possible attack by a pride of lions.
Kafue National Park is a huge park and is one of the top 5 wildlife parks on the African continent. While breathtaking, Kafue covers an extremely large portion of Zambia and at this point, only professional-grade cameras near the release facility of GRI will keep it better monitored.
This release facility desperately needs a video surveillance camera system as they have already experienced an increase in lion activity around the facility and need to get a system in place as soon as possible. Between a severe drought, which creates a serious lack of food sources, and the mere existence of a vulnerable baby elephant in Kafue you attract the attention of the lion prides in the area so the sooner cameras can be set up there the better.
In order to help with this urgent need, we’ve launched this GoFundMe campaign to raise money to benefit Game Rangers International through their partner, David Shepherd Wildlife International.The folks at WildlifeEarth Live and Djuma Dam were kind enough to share their camera specs with us. Raising $5000 would cover all the costs to purchase and install what's needed to keep little Mutaanzi David, Chamma and all the other elephants safer than ever before.
Please consider a donation of $250, $100, $50, $25, $10, any amount you can afford, big or small, will add up to a safer facility for the elephants.Funds raised would be applied to cameras, audio rigging, installation, broadband expansion and feed operator infrastructure programming/software. Any donation will help them purchase such a professional surveillance camera system.
Please help by contributing as much or whatever you're able to protect and support this blossoming little family and all the GRI elephant orphans of Kafue National Park. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.
And thank you for caring about and protecting elephants. More about Game Rangers International:
Game Rangers International (GRI) is a non-profit organization established in Zambia in 2008. GRI works in close partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) to empower Rangers and local communities to conserve nature. The Elephant Orphanage remains GRI’s primary project with an Elephant Nursery in Lusaka and a Release Facility in Kafue National Park. Here, the rescued orphaned baby elephants brought into their care are gradually reintegrated back into the wild. To date, the dedicated humans at GRI have rescued 49 orphaned baby elephants. Learn more about GRI via their website: https://www.gamerangersinternational.org/
More information about David Shepherd Wildlife International:
Elephants were once abundant throughout Africa and Asia. During the twentieth century, however wild populations saw a rapid decline as a result of an insatiable consumer demand for ivory from Asian markets. There are 3 main threats to elephant populations: Illegal Wildlife Trade, Human-Wildlife Conflict and Habitat Loss and Degradation. David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) works at all levels of the illegal wildlife chain across source countries, transit and demand countries to protect elephants in the wild and to fight for their survival. Click below to learn more about GoFundMe.
Video footage generously provided by Black Bean Productions and WildEarth. Video script, editing, and voice-over courtesy of Bella Domain Media.
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