As the sun sets once more, it paints a beautiful picture in this sometimes harsh environment. Here, the distinct realities of life are intertwined with a magic that can only be found in the care that is given by the dedicated people who day and night watch over the small animals that now call this place home. In the soft warm light of the stalls, the tired baby elephants lay themselves down on the freshly spread straw, under the watchful eye of their carers. As the tiredness brought on by a day full of adventure finally takes hold, so their tiny eyes will close, and they will drift into a safe sound slumber.
Elephants are an intelligent and highly emotional creature, and for many, the horrors they have witnessed in their short life will never leave them and as they sleep you wonder what dreams or nightmares fill their minds. Whatever that answer may be, for now I only know that they are tucked safely away, wrapped in a warm blanket in the best of care. As the lights are dimmed and the keepers finally retire at the end of the day, there is an almost deafening silence, broken only by the soft snoring as the baby elephants finally let their bodies relax in this place they now call home.
My words will never really explain how important the work of these, and many other dedicated people, has made a lasting difference to these fragile lives. In many cases they have been taken from the brink of death and nursed back to health, and eventually returned to the wild with many other lucky souls.
The harsh reality is that for some the trauma, the sickness, the fatigue of their ordeal, is far to great to overcome despite all the support given by these organisations and the compassion and strength given between each elephant in the group. One can only be comforted knowing that for a brief moment they were cared for, they were shown love like few could imagine. Then when their time came to leave and sparkle as another star in the sky, they would once again be with their mothers and could proudly tell that not all humans are bad and that some are living Angels. 😊😊😊
For more information visit
https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/