Our 10th Year Birthday “Gift”
2020 is a significant year for us as it was 10 years ago that ORYX Photo Tours was born! From small beginnings leading photo tours to only a handful of southern African destinations, to now taking guests all over the world, it has been a privilege and a joy to celebrate our diverse and captivating world through the medium of photography with like-minded people.
When thinking about how we could celebrate, we came up with the idea of adopting an elephant from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organisation best known for their work with elephants. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust operate the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world, and over the last 40 years have expanded their reach even further. They have developed an extensive, multi-faceted approach to conservation to ensure a greater and long-lasting impact for other wildlife across Kenya as well.
The baby Elephant that we have decided to adopt is a one year old, special-needs female named Ziwadi, which means “Gift” in Swahili.
It seems that she has walked a rough road in her young life so far, suffering both physical as well as psychological trauma. But we’re grateful to the hardworking keepers and vets who take care of her and are striving to rehabilitate her into the wild again.
You can read more about her rescue story here.
Here is a video where Nursery Head Keeper Edwin talks about Ziwadi’s progress:
On our recent Kenya – Lake Turkana Photo Safari, Kirsten Frost and a few of our guests went to visit the orphanage, and some of our guests were even inspired to adopt a few elephants of their own!
The baby ellies provided great entertainment as they rushed past our group to get some nutritious formula before returning to their enclosures. It seems that some of them find security in their own safe space that is comfortable and warm.
If you are interested in helping to conserve our elephant population and aid in the need of these orphans, you too can adopt a baby elephant here. Adoptions start at $50 a year, and you are always welcome to adopt numerous elephant orphans or increase your donation figure. There are even some rhinos and giraffes available for adoption too!
