HERD - In memory of orphaned elephant calf, Fenya

Dear friend of HERD,

In our last update we shared the heartbreaking news of the passing of our dear Fenya.

We also shared some future. But, before we share more of what we are currently doing, we would like to give you a glimpse into how Fenya’s arrival and passing has affected our operations.

Of course, when Fenya arrived, we had Dr. Rogers from Provet come in immediately to assess and help. He continued coming to visit Fenya as he tracked her progress, helped administer medications and drips, administered a blood transfusion, and helped with the milk and vitamin doses. We are extremely grateful to have Dr. Rogers as our on-call vet for HERD.

During Fenya’s stay, she received the highest care possible with Carers taking turns to be with her, monitor her, give her the milk, nourishment, and medical care that she so desperately needed. There was someone with her 24/7 and we are extremely grateful for every Carer that jumped in to help where help was needed with operations and general activities, it shows us great care and commitment!

The costs of taking Fenya in up to her passing was significant. As you can imagine, a lot of unplanned costs came about and of course there was no question about it.

The funds that have come in so far has really helped us in cushioning those costs and it continues to do so. THANK YOU!

As mentioned, we have looked at acquiring a Tractor. All laborious tasks are performed manually by hand by our caretakers and operations staff or by hiring equipment needed, which takes hours of time that could be used to focus on other developmental projects.

Acquiring this equipment will not only help immensely in easing labor, but it will also have a direct impact on our elephant herd, their health and happiness. It will moreover play a vital role in land restoration and maintenance as well as conservation, which is vital to HERD becoming more sustainable and self-reliant.

The funds we receive going forward on this project will go between operations as well as acquiring said tractor.

We have approached a possible local funder to possibly sponsor the deficit of the cost for the tractor, but we are still quite a way away to reach our target to be able to buy the tractor.

Even though we face some challenges, we are extremely hopeful.

Your continued support has been amazing! It is because of you that we can look to the future with so much hope and courage in our hearts. Thank you for being a part of our journey at HERD – a journey to become more sustainable and providing care for our wonderful elephants.

Thank you for your ongoing and unwavering support. We are deeply grateful to each single person donating and supporting HERD, and especially, In Memory of Fenya.

Love,

Adine and the team