BLAAUWBOSCH RESCUE
THE BLAAUWBOSCH RESCUE
The Aspinall Foundation in conjunction with Wild911, an American NGO, have stepped in to save a large number of animals within a hunting reserve in South Africa from an almost certain death. The 11 elephants, 24 giraffes, buffalo and wildebeest were discovered at Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape region of the country in terrible condition. The animals had been left in an overstocked fenced area without water during a sustained period of drought.
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ABOUT THE BLAAUWBOSCH RESCUE
19 buffalo
POWERFUL ANIMALS
29 wildbeest
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11 ELEPHANTS
4 GIRAFFES
Just a few days after the elephants were rescued, the team headed back to Blaauwbosch to save as many giraffes as possible. After years of neglect, only four were healthy enough to transport. The rest will be looked after at Blaauwbosch by the SPCA until they are strong enough for us to try again
19 buffalo
RESCUED GROUP
Fortunately, our team of experts knew exactly what to do and within a few hours 19 of these majestic animals had been darted, loaded and were on their way to safety.
29 wildbeest
2019
Expert helicopter pilot Grant Soule from Inyathi Game Services herded the animals from the air while Dr William Fowlds darted them for transport. They were safely released into nearby reserves just hours after capture.
THE BEGINNING
How it started
This rescue follows the successful relocation of a bull elephant in October 2019. The conditions at Blaauwbosch forced the bull elephant to leave the reserve and wander the neighbouring farms, causing a hunting permit to be issued by local authorities. The Aspinall Foundation and Wild911 stepped in, overturned the permit and the elephant 'Harry' was relocated to the safety of Mount Camdeboo Private Reserve. After the success of the bull’s relocation, the to assist with translocation of the remaining animals at Blaauwbosch.
MOUNT CAMDEBOO’S PETER CHADWICK
The Challenges
The elephant rescue was almost blocked after the owner of Blaauwbosch tried to enforce an injunction against the team to stop the rescue taking place. Key members of the team, led by Mount Camdeboo’s Peter Chadwick, rushed to court and successfully defeated the injunction.
THE TEAM
“There are unfortunately too many animals in this situation in South Africa that require the intervention of organisations such as ours and Wild911. It is rare however that so many animals require assistance in one go and in one place and the logistics of finding them all new homes and then successfully transporting them is a real challenge. Some of the animals are already in a very poor condition but we will do our best to save as many of them as possible and give them a new life in a suitable environment."
Wild911's Chris Holcroft added
"It's a simple matter of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help those that can't ask for help but badly need it."
The translocation was managed by Kester Vickery’s Conservation Solutions , who specialise in professional, logistical, veterinary and technical support for conservation projects across Africa.
The full team included members from The Aspinall Foundation, Wild911, Mount Camdeboo Private Reserve, SPCA, Conservation Solutions, Buffalo Kloof, Ikhala, the local community and Dr William Fowlds.
ELEPHANT MARKED FOR DEATH
Saved by The Aspinall Foundation
Many of you have followed Harry the Elephant's translocation to Mount Camdeboo. Marked for death, The Aspinall Foundation stepped in to save this bull! He is now doing really well in his new home, exploring the mountains and wallowing in mud. We would like to thank you all for your amazing support as always!
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How You Can Help
The work carried out by The Aspinall Foundation is only possible with the support of individual donors. You can join us and not only support this incredible project, but also allow us to continue rescuing animals in need in South Africa.