Rejoice: v 1: feel happiness
or joy [syn: joy] 2: to express great joy; "Who cannot exult
in Spring?" [syn: exult, triumph, jubilate] 3: be ecstatic
with joy [syn: wallow, triumph]
IsiZulu translation: JABULANI
This is the story of an abandoned
baby elephant who could never have known the impact he would have
on the lives of countless people, and of 11 fellow elephants.
This is a story of the power of a greater cause. It is a tale
of celebration – the tale of Jabulani.
Just 4 months old, injured, severely
dehydrated - practically dead. This is Lente Roode’s first
memory of Jabulani in June 1997. He had been found firmly stuck
in the mud of a silt dam. After attempts to rescue him failed,
his mother, with the rest of the herd, abandoned him. He was left
to the elements.
It took a full year to nurse the
tiny elephant back to health. He truly beat the odds amongst much
medical skepticism as to whether he could survive. Lente worked
with professionals to develop a special milk formula specifically
for the tiny patient. He was monitored around the clock, cocooned
in the love and affection of a dedicated team (including a hand-reared
sheep called Skaap who acted as a surrogate mother) and slowly
brought back to a state of vitality.
One would think that this would
be the happy ending… elephant saved and able to commence
the life that had abruptly ground to a premature halt a year earlier?
Not quite. Despite numerous painstaking attempts to re-introduce
him into the bush, Jabulani would have none of it! These two-legged
creatures were his family and he had no intention of parting ways.
Lente now faced the dilemma of what she would do with a rapidly
growing elephant
…. enter the hand of Fate
once again.
In March 2002 word reached Lente
of 12 Zimbabwean elephants who faced a grisly and untimely end.
Their owner’s farm was in the process of being ex-propriated
by war veterans and the elephants were tagged for their meat.
A rescue mission was put into place
within a matter of weeks. A massive truck left Johannesburg for
Zimbabwe empty – and returned with a dozen pachyderms. To
safety.
It was with amazement that Lente
stood back and witnessed the near-miraculous meeting of Jabulani
with the herd – he was almost immediately adopted by Tokwe
(the matriarch) and had finaly found his kin.
But what now? Taking care of 12
elephants is no easy feat (mentioning nothing of the costs). Left
with the responsibility and custody of these magnificent but overwhelming
creatures, the next logical step was in the creation of a camp
to support them. This camp would enable travelers from the world
over to experience the extraordinary impact of interacting with
elephants. But no ordinary camp would do…. This camp would
have to be the very best of the best – 5 star luxury, superior
service, magnificent cuisine, very intimate with no more than
6 suites – all harmoniously blending with the African bush.
And this is how Camp Jabulani was
born! And the elephants finally had their home.
