Two Inspiring Women Behind HERD - South Africa's First Dedicated Elephant Orphanage

Happy International Women's Day!

While our HERD HQ and office includes mostly (all) women, on the ground at HERD, there have always been typically more men on the team than women. HERD is female-led, with Adine as Founder, but our carers are mostly male as the majority travelled with the rescued herd from Zimbabwe when the original elephants were rescued in 2002.

We are trying more and more to share HERD opportunities with local women, from our female elephant carer at the nursery, Khensani who has been with us from the very beginning, to the JabuLadies, our women's empowerment initiative, giving jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities to women in the communities around us.

We wanted to share a few snippets of the special kind of love, guidance and support that our female carers on the ground have given orphan elephant, Khanyisa, since her arrival in 2020 - including Adine and Khensani. Khensani remains at the nursery for most of the day, helping with Khanyisa's needs in the morning and evening, but also sometimes heads to the bush to give her milk bottles, with the rest of the herd and carers.

You can watch more about her journey here:    • Women in Conservation - Junior Elepha...  

Adine and Khensani have offered vital motherly company to Khanyisa over the years in a variety of ways - watch today's video of flashbacks for a trip down memory lane with two inspiring ladies!