Elephant Conservation through Education

There is nothing I love more than to be in the bushveld and to be surrounded by our beautiful wildlife. I grew up right next to the Kruger National Park, so whenever I am in the bush I feel right at home, and the older I get the more sacred the bush becomes. Today I am sharing a very special shoot, I urge you to read the whole post as I feel so many people are uneducated about these gorgeous Gentle Giants I get to photograph so often, this is my opinion and how I have experienced Adventures with Elephants. >

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I love visiting Adventures with Elephants (AWE), the people here take in elephants that society has seen as ‘problem' elephants and they habituate them. Many of you might not like this idea of elephants being habituated, but they have nowhere else to go, their choices are limited to being culled, poached or rescued and placed in captivity.

Do you know how much an elephant is worth in Africa? The truth is that no one wants elephants, they destroy habitats (not through any fault of their own) and are very expensive to move to new locations, you will probably have to pay someone to take them off your hands and most of the time the people who will pay top dollar for them are the ones that want to hunt them for sport.

It is an appalling fact that over the last 100 years the African elephant population has been reduced from 3.5 million elephants to only 375 000 remaining today, and habitat destruction has reduced the land available to elephants to only 5% of what they once had (usually the worst lands, as humans have taken the best for cities, agriculture and such) and if the current rate of poaching continues then we will lose all our elephants within a decade’. [Source]

Our elephants are in trouble and there is an urgent need to protect these gentle giants. >

A little more about AWE

The group of 7 elephants at AWE have a purpose that is far better than just being rescued and placed in a national park where they will just over populate it futher, the elephants at AWE help their species and other species by means of educating us humans.

The program they run here is to; 1, look after the 7 elephants 2, help the communities around them by job creation 3, Educate the locals who have to live with the elephants, 4, observe the elephants and learn from them. Their end goal is conservation through education. Adventures with Elephants help our wildlife more than you know:

Some facts about Adventures with Elephants:

• Adventures with Elephants have 7 elephants

• 5 of them were considered troubled elephants and were going to be culled. 2 Elephants were born into the herd.

• The 7 elephants get to roam freely on 300 hectare during the day - they need way more than this, but unfortunately land is limited (still, they are far from being caged like zoo animals - in my opinion).

• At certain times during the day they go and meet visitors > the keepers teach the visitors more about the elephants, their habits and the habitat they occupy.

• At night they sleep in a boma with some of the keepers to keep them safe from poachers.

• These elephants are habituated and humanly trained for a variety of roles from educational demonstrations of their abilities to film and research work as well as daily enrichment and anti poaching efforts for all wildlife in the area.

• AWE’s elephants are one of the most diversely researched herds in South Africa and have been contributing to many different research projects.

I started working with Adventures with elephants about 6 years ago and it has been a treat to go there every now and then. I hope more and more people will go and visit this place to see what it is all about. >

“In a perfect world, all elephants would be free and wild, indeed all game would be free and wild. In the imperfect world we live in, we must find solutions for both animal and humans to be able to co-exist. As long as wildlife has no value to the people who own or live with them, wildlife will continue to die carelessly and cruelly. ”

— Adventures with Elephants

BUSHVELD ENGAGEMENT SESSION

A lovely session with my cousin Anzel and her fiancé Jacques. We went out to a location close to our homes and photographed with the beautiful lowveld backdrop. I am very excited to photograph Anzel & Jacques wedding in June on our family farm!

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Hair & Nails Beautiful You Salon

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SOUTH AFRICAN ELEPHANT SAFARI | COUPLE SHOOT

'Oh Africa, you have my Heart!' ~ Me

I had an amazing weekend with this beautiful couple, Greg & Rime from France. Greg Finck is one of my favourite photographers and I have been following his work for a couple of years. Rime Arodaky, who's work I saw through Greg, is a very talented wedding dress designer (SA, you want her dresses here in SA - lets get her to come open up a showroom here)! We finally met in March and I can honestly say Greg & Rime are such an amazing couple, down to earth and just warm people. They came to South Africa to relax and see a bit of our beautiful country. 

For their couple session we got to photograph them experiencing these gentle giants from Adventures with Elephants. These beautiful animals have been rescued after being called 'problem' elephants, but are living a peaceful life here at Adventures', and they are definitely not problem animals. Please go and visit their website or even their reserve to educate yourself on how lovely these giants are.  

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LOWVELD BUSHVELD WEDDING

This beautiful couple got married in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, a place that is close to where I grew up. Likweti is a beautiful game farm in the Whiteriver area. Pieter & Anje had an absolutely beautiful summers day - the weather was as perfect as this beautiful couple! 

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Flowers Anika & Liesa van Huyssteen | Stationary Chrystalace | Getting dressed Venue Muluwa Lodge | Decor Die Rivier & Easyhire | Hair & make-up Queen B | Band Twee | Bar & Gin bar Thirsty Bartender | Dress Calegra Bridal Pretoria | Bridesmaids dresses Carike Nel | Cakes Lia Odendaal |  Sound & lighting AVS Nelspruit | Videographer White Motion Films | Catering Magda & Elna

African safari elopement

'Fall in love with someone who tastes like adventure but looks like the calm, beautiful morning after a terrible storm.' ~ Nikita Gill

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Patrick & Caitlin are from New York, they're an adventurous couple who decided to elope while they visited South Africa. I had the honour of capturing their elopement at the Lion Sands River Lodge, the ceremony was held in a dry river bank with the beautiful backdrop of elephants gracing on the river bank! They also enjoyed their honeymoon night in a very romantic tree house over the Lion Sands Game Reserve.

About 2 weeks after the elopement, the last day of their trip, we went to one of my favourite places, Adventures with Elephants where we photographed Patrick and Caitlin with Chova the Elephant.  

It is important to note that the second part of the shoot was shot on a different location AWE, the elephants are trained and have professionals on the shoot standing by. 

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CHAN & ASTAMI {ON SAFARI}

"There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne, bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude for being alive" 

Karen Blixen ~ Out of Africa

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~ Film Session ~

Location Private | Dress Silver Swallow

EUGENE & LOUISE | SAFARI ENGAGEMENT

Where you go, I'll go, where you stay, I'll stay. Ruth 1:16

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Creative Collaboration by Stationery Chrystalace & Dress Silver Swallow 

LANIE & HANNAH

'I promise you that we will have many adventures together and mostly I look forward to raising skinny blonde children together.' ~ Lanie (The Groom)

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Flowers Classic Flowers

JASON & NICOLE

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” 
~ Dr. Seuss

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Venue Private | Stationery Canvas Stationery Boutique | Makeup Made up by Janna | Wedding tent Timeless Tents (SA) | Decor Moi Decor | Assistant Marne | Tent Hotel Harambee Hotel

DAN & MICHELE

'Even if you're strong, even if you're not, every breath you breathe, I'll be there for you.'  ~ Parlotones ~

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Venue, Flowers & Decor: Chitwa Chitwa

RYAN & MAXINE

'You'll be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground, I'll be the wings that keeps your heart in the clouds'  

Venue River Club, Zambia | Violin Caitlin De Ville | Assistant Photographer Marne

RYAN & MAXINE

'...and suddenly all the love songs were about you.'