each of us has a story - even elephants.
My name is Tswale, and I am an African Elephant. This is my story…
Born in Limpopo province, South Africa, someone predicted that I was going to be as big as a mountain. So, I was named after a local mountain called Tswale. My big sister, Modjaji, and I were rescued from being culled.
Our new lease on life led to us participating in a training initiative where elephants were trained for human interactions, in the hope that the experience would help educate people about how amazing elephants are.
In 2004, our paths crossed with a special man called Amos, who volunteered at our training center for 3 months.
Modjaji, who was 4 years older than me, had an extraordinary gift of being able to ‘read’ humans, and she identified Amos as being someone very special. She chose him as our human family, and 3 months together turned into 19 years.
At this point, it’s worth mentioning that gaining an elephant’s trust is no small thing. No amount of qualification or exposure can qualify a human in the eyes of an elephant. We have the capacity to really SEE other creatures, and what Modjaji saw in Amos surpassed mere acceptance. That choice likely saved my life.
In elephant circles, we hear horror stories about training that is cruel. Modjaji and I were blessed with amazing trainers that only believed in an ‘ask and reward’ training model. As a result, we developed a love of humans and in the interactions we shared with them.
Following the completion of our training, Modjaji, Amos and I relocated to KwaMadwala Game Reserve in Mpumalanga, in 2006. It was to be our home for 16 years, and during that time, we had the joy of meeting and interacting with people from all around the world. One of those people was our neighbor from Lowhills, Sonell. We met her a handful of times when she visited with guests, and none of us could ever have guessed how our paths would converge in the future.
The Covid-19 Pandemic had a dire impact on the tourism industry and Amos was plunged into a situation where he was no longer earning an income. A reasonable choice would have been for him to leave KwaMadwala, and to seek employment elsewhere to support his family. But the choice was not that clear cut and dried for him, because Modjaji and I were his family too. For my entire life, Modjaji had been my protector, and as Amos grew to love us, he shared that role with her. Of course, my big sister was also the one to pull me in line when my teenage tendencies inspired mischief, and as our only other immediate family member, Amos shared the responsibility of teaching me good behavior that would always keep me safe.
Now, what many people don’t know, is that being an elephant handler is not an ordinary job at the best of times! It involves an enormous commitment of time and devotion – one that requires spending a LOT of time with the elephants in your care. However, when faced with the decision of leaving us, Amos proved Modjaji’s trust in him had not been misplaced – he chose us. It wasn’t the first time either – our big ears are not just for show, and we had overheard numerous lucrative job offers that Amos had rejected over the years. But, this time it was different – Amos chose to stay with us without remuneration – for almost 3 years.
There is a Dr Seuss quote, that says: ‘I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent’. That’s true, and it’s absolutely true of Amos too. Then, in August of 2022, Amos’s loyalty was tested again, when a heart-breaking accident resulted in Mojadji’s unexpected death.
3 Rogue nomadic elephants from Mozambique that had found their way to KwaMadwala, attacked us. In her self-appointed role as protector, Mojadji bore the brunt of the attack, in which she was severely injured. Amos, as our human protector stood between us and those three aggressive elephants for the whole terrifying night that followed, and you can read more about that here.
That chapter of our story ended in tragedy, with Mojadji being euthenised on account of her injuries.
I fled.
The presence of the 3 rogue bulls made it impossible to stay, and as I left my home of 16 years behind, Amos was beside me every step of the way. Not leading, just there. Loss can make you feel very alone, but on that day, I was thankful for Modjaji choosing Amos as our family all those years ago, and for his love that kept him by my side, even after we had lost everything but each other.
Our journey into the unknown brought us to Sonell’s door on Lowhills. Unannounced, we arrived to throw ourselves on her mercy. She responded with love, and Amos and I hope to stay here forever.
Acclaimed British travel writer and conservationist, Mark Shand, once said: ‘Save the elephants… and then you save yourself.’ It’s a beautiful picture of how humans and elephants are connected -not only as fellow inhabitants of the same planet, but as highly sentient beings. I am blessed to have humans on my side who are committed to ensuring that my future is filled with peace, safety, love, freedom and the opportunity to do what I love – meet humans and just be an elephant. If you would like to help us make that happen, you can find out more here, and if you would like to meet me in person, you can book here.