It’s World Elephant Day, so we asked the HERD team what life lessons they have learned from these gentle giants.
Hoedspruit, South Africa (12 August 2026) – Elephants leave big footprints. But the deepest marks they leave behind aren’t in the sand. They’re in the people who spend their lives caring for them.
At HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development), every orphaned elephant arrives with its own story, often a hard one. The team’s job is to help write what comes next, alongside them, in the hope that each calf eventually finds its place in the Jabulani Herd.
The Jabulani Herd is incredibly special. Over the years, it’s taken in orphan after orphan, elephants with no blood relation to one another, and yet every time, they’ve become family. That is what HERD’s rehabilitation work focuses on. It gives orphaned elephants a safe place to start again, and a second chance to grow up surrounded by others who care for them.
“That family is the Jabulani herd. Today, 15 elephants call it home. Eleven of them are orphans who were rescued, nurtured, and given a second chance at life. Four were born into the herd over the past decade, proof of the strong bonds and generational continuity this unique family has created,” shares HERD.
Spending years around orphaned elephants will change how you see the world. So for World Elephant Day this Tuesday, we asked the HERD team what these gentle giants have taught them.
1. Love Has No Boundaries
Jade Georgiou, Marketing Officer and Content Creator at HERD, says it’s all love. Watching how the elephants care for each other, and how they connect with the humans who look after them, has stayed with her.
“Working at HERD has taught me that love truly has no boundaries. Watching the bond between elephants, and between people and elephants, has reminded me to be more compassionate to those around me and never underestimate the impact of kindness.”
2. Family Isn’t Just About Blood
The Jabulani Herd is proof that family isn’t always something you’re born into, it’s something you build. Tamlin Wightman, HERD’s Media Manager, says watching that play out has changed her own life.
“Working with HERD, and especially spending time with the orphan calves, made me want to become a mother myself. Watching Khanyisa drink her milk bottle, suckle from older female elephants like Lundi, and nuzzle Adine’s hand, I knew I wanted a baby of my own because of the incredible love between guardian and child, however they came to be together. I love elephants’ devotion to family, and through watching Adine and the carers with them every day, I’ve felt part of that family too.”
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The herd understands that recovery from life’s greatest knocks will take as long as it takes. Lerissa van Biljon, HERD’s Brand Manager, says that’s taught her the value of patience, both with elephants and with people.
“Before joining HERD, I saw elephants as remarkable animals. Over the past year, I’ve come to see them as remarkable teachers,” she says. “Spending time with the herd and learning each elephant’s story has taught me that resilience isn’t about never experiencing hardship. It’s about having the space, support and patience to heal.
“That lesson has changed the way I think about people, too. We all move through life at our own pace, and growth can’t be forced. Sometimes the greatest thing we can offer, whether to an elephant or another person, is patience, understanding and the chance to simply be.”
4. Courage in Carrying On
Wilma Rachmann, HERD’s Elephant Moments and Procurement Manager, has watched elephants move on from unimaginable trauma and find peace again. That, she says, has taught her about resilience.
“One of the greatest gifts of working with elephants has been witnessing their incredible resilience. Many of them have experienced loss and hardship, yet they continue to trust, form deep relationships and embrace life with remarkable courage,” she says. “Their resilience reminds me every day to trust in God’s timing, lean into prayer, and never underestimate the power of love, patience and community.”
5. Sometimes Showing Up Is Enough
Elephants don’t work on the rest of the world’s clock. They need feeding, cleaning and looking after every single day. During COVID-19 lockdown, that meant Chantel du Toit, HERD’s Chief Operating Officer, had to keep showing up. In doing so, she learned something she’ll never forget.
“One of my most meaningful memories with the elephants was during the COVID-19 lockdown, when the world stood still but their care never stopped. My six-year-old daughter and I spent our days preparing food, cleaning stables and simply showing up for them,” says Chantel. “Looking back as a mother, I realise the elephants taught us that resilience is found in the quiet, everyday acts of care, and that even in life’s most uncertain moments, purpose, compassion and consistency have the power to carry us forward.”
6. Greater Things Are Possible When We Work Together
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Godknows Chivero, Elephant Carer and Assistant Head of Department at HERD, says watching the herd move as one taught him this lesson better than anything else could.
“Working with elephants has taught me many valuable lessons, but the greatest is the importance of teamwork. Elephants have incredibly strong social bonds. When one elephant struggles, the others come together to help. They remind me that when people work together, they have a much greater chance of succeeding.”
7. Taking Your Time
Khensani Shingwabila Zitha, a Jabulady with HERD’s Community Initiative, has learned patience from the herd.
“Since I started working at HERD, the elephants have taught me not to rush. They have shown me the importance of being calm and patient. When I am stressed, worried or in a hurry, they can sense it. Working with elephants has taught me that to care for them well, I must first be calm myself. It is a lesson I carry with me every day.”
Similarly, Matipedza Tigere, Elephant Manager and Carer, says it has been one of his greatest lessons in working with ellies.
“Elephants taught me to be patient especially when you feel you are behind in time. Something big can be achieved when one is patient enough.”
8. An Elephant Never Forgets
Last Scholar, an Elephant Carer who also assists with HOD duties at HERD, says the elephants have shown him what real leadership looks like, and it’s got nothing to do with force.
“To work with elephants taught me a lot of things in life…” he says. “Elephants don’t like an aggressive person who stays angry,” he adds. “They teach me to be a leader. A matriarch leads through memory, empathy, and earned trust instead of aggressive control.”
9. Love Is Something You Do
For Owen Mailosi Dube, Senior Elephant Carer at HERD, watching Tokwe, one of the herd’s matriarchs, care for an injured Fishan day after day, taught him about the depth of love.
“One experience that stood out to me was watching Tokwe, one of the matriarchs of the herd, care for Fishan when he was injured. While the other elephants went out to feed, Fishan often stayed behind because of his injury. Each time the herd returned, Tokwe would go straight to him before she started feeding herself. She did this every day until the day Fishan was strong enough to join the herd again,” says Owen. “From this, I learned that love and care are not just words. They are shown through actions.”
10. Learning Never Stops
Nobody has spent longer learning from elephants than HERD founder and Jabulani Safari MD Adine Roode. Still to this day, she learns from the elephants she cares for.
“The first and most important lesson elephants have taught me is to stay humble. Their wisdom runs deep, and no matter how much you learn, there is always more to understand,” says Adine. “When I walk in the bush and meet Sebakwe, one of our biggest bulls, I am always struck by how small I am beside him. Yet while I may think I am helping care for him, I am reminded that elephants care for people too. Through their presence, they provide purpose, opportunity, and livelihoods for many families. That perspective stays with me every day.”
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