Most fascinating day

This is last minute update as yesterday was the most fascinating day and a true fitting end for my return trip to the US on Tuesday.

Around 3.15 PM Andre and Louise came at the camp and we went for a game drive. 30 mins into the game drive and we are all were busy looking here and there and all of a sudden from our right side the elephants came up and started walking across us. That was amazing to see those beautiful animals so close hardly 30 feet across. They rushed across our jeep and stood in there behind trees watching us. I was so happy that I finally got to see them up and so close. I could see them lifting their trunks to smell us. We waited for 10 mins or so took many pictures and video and moved from their.

But those 10 mins were one of the most amazing moments of this trip.

Last three weeks of my life

Last 3 weeks were one of the most wonderful & enriching times of my life. I have had great pleasure/honor and a rare privilege of working with animals and some good humans who are constantly striving to save the animals from human atrocities.

Albert & his rangers team is taking tons of efforts to make sure no poaching happens on SanWild. Zacharia is tireless worker and helps maintain the clean environment and surroundings at SanWild Office and rehab center.

Louise is like a matriarch, similar to elephants herd. In elephant society (just like in lions) all females are related to each other. Matriarch is the leader of the entire herd. She decides the feeding & watering routes when herd in moving or migrating. This is mapped permanently in Matriarchs memory and passed down from generation to generation. Elephants have the phenomenal memory (probably the best among animal kingdom), acute sense of smell and hearing. To me they signify the brilliance, intelligence and true picture of family & social behavior. In my religion, Hinduism, they are right at the top of everything because Lord Ganesh has elephant head and he is the God of wisdom, intelligence, prosperity and destroyer of evil. Everything begins and ends with Lord Ganesh prayers.

Bliksem - so special

I have no ONE particular favorite animal as I love all of them, but I must say Bliksem is something special to me. Next 48 hrs, I will be spending lot of time with him, 3rd Meerkat mother and also with take some pictures of Doonga & Jespa. Their stories and their beauty have moved and captivated my heart. Hope I am able to convey to them that, at SanWild there is nothing to worry & fear of. At SanWild will be very safe/healthy and also give a life to new generations of their kind.

SanWild helps animals forget bad times

Last but not the least, my experience in South Africa was emotional but enriching. It was filled with lot of joy and at the same time feeling bad for all the information that I gathered about humans canned hunting and culling animals for money. I had the ultimate pleasure of working with animals hands on and learned thru that process.

Considering that most animals came here from brutally tough or even life threatening situations, SanWild has made sure they some how forget the past and move on with the life in a good way. Animals here are at ease and have been far from mindless attackers. They have been most kind souls I have come across together under one roof.

One question does come to my mind; do we really need SanWild to grow everywhere? I would say people like at SanWild and place like SanWild absolutely YES, but reason WHY SanWild came into existence should certainly NOT. If we think and act sensibly and stop interfering their life, then there is no reason for a center like SanWild as nature will take care of that on own.

However human greed has resulted in a chain reaction that is killing everyone around and thus it is imperative we have to have SanWild. It is difficult to educate a human in positive way when money is the ONLY motivation. They stoop down to any level and hence the needs to do conservation. In these trying moments it is better to have SanWild now and not feel sorry later. We have already lost many species to human killings in last 50 years and hopefully we can stop that.

But in today’s world, actually we need many more SanWild, many more Louise who think about and care for the animals; who think animals need a second chance and will do anything to give them. Let’s come together and give Wildlife a chance. I guess they deserve more than that.

I wish everyone at SanWild a very healthy/happy & prosperous life.

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