The
Elephants | The Stables | Paul
& his Team | Elephant Facts
Adept: adj : 1. having
or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude;
n : 1. someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field; 2. a highly
skilled person; 3. an expert
We
have a total of 22 professional grooms taking care of the Camp
Jabulani elephants. They are dedicated to these elephants –
evident in their gentle yet firm approach to their charges. Most
of the team originate from Zimbabwe, as did the elephants (with
the exception of Jabulani, of course).
SENIOR GROOMS include:
Joshua Dube:
Very well recognised and respected
by his colleagues for his intimate knowledge and experience gained
over a period of 17 years.
Joshua is softly spoken with a
gentle manner – earning him affection as well as obedience
from the elephants. Joshua has been mentor to many a trainee handler
and has climbed the ranks since he began working with elephants
in 1989 – he now holds a position of senior trainer groom.
Jackson Ngwenya:
Jackson has as many years of experience
under this belt as Joshua. He is an exceptional trainer who is
skilled in leadership – with the elephants and his fellow
grooms.
Joshua Dube and Stavros Chakoma
Tangayi Ketasi:
Tangayi is just 30 years old. He
has been working with elephants for the past decade - following
in the footsteps of Joshua and Jackson (having worked with them
from the beginning of his career).
He has a particular flair in the
manner in which he deals with difficult” elephants and has
proved his value in this respect.
Stavros Chakoma:
Stavros has worked with Joshua,
Jackson and Tangayi for ten years - dating back to 1996 in Zimbabwe.
He has an excellent manner with guests and elephants alike, and
is known for his adaptability in assessing and co-ordinating different
personalities for optimum enjoyment on safari.
A team like Joshua, Jackson, Tangayi
and Stavros (with many years of experience between them) are invaluable
and do the elephant-back safari industry proud! For their skill,
patience, passion and moral grounding.
