Tag: nature

Baby Elephant Rescue

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

In mid January a baby elephant was swept into a river which was swollen from the recent rains. It was quickly washed away from its mother who could not get to it. Fortunately a group of the local villagers were able to pull it from the river but it was exhausted and in bad shape. They immediately contacted Wildlife Action Group who came quickly to take care of the baby. Baby ellies are very hard to raise and Lynn knew they had very limited time to bring it back to health. The first thought was to get it back to the mother as soon as possible but locating the correct herd and mother was not successful. Lynn went into action and immediately contacted several people who had the specific knowledge on what needed to be done. The baby is currently still in poor condition and recovery is far from guaranteed. Following is Lynn’s recent update to us.

HI Dick
Sorry this is a generic update for you as we have so many people wanting to know
At present, the calf remains in a fragile and critical early-stage condition. She is experiencing ongoing difficulty with feeding and has been suffering from episodes of diarrhoea, which have made stabilization challenging. Her condition fluctuates on a daily basis, with periods of improvement followed by setbacks, which is not uncommon in neonate orphan elephants of her estimated age and size.
The previously identified umbilical infection is currently being actively managed and appears to be under control at this time, though continued monitoring remains essential. The calf is notably small and weak and very young, which further complicates her recovery and requires intensive, adaptive care.
To ensure the highest possible standards of welfare and technical guidance, we have secured 24-hour access to expert support from expert and experienced wildlife rescue and elephant rehabilitation specialist Ms. Liz O’Brien, , who is providing continuous remote oversight and guidance. In addition, Game Rangers International(GRI) is available as backup support, including expert input from Dr Amanda Le Salb, should further intervention or consultation be required.
On the ground, Baby Ellie is receiving round-the-clock care from a dedicated team of eight Malawian staff members, operating on a 24-hour rotation. These staff members are undergoing continuous hands-on training and mentorship and have demonstrated exceptional commitment, empathy, and responsiveness to the calf’s needs under difficult and emotionally demanding conditions.
It is important to note that Baby Ellie remains in the very early days of care, and despite all reasonable and appropriate interventions being applied, her prognosis remains guarded. As with all neonatal orphan wildlife cases, particularly elephants, outcomes can be unpredictable, and changes—both positive and negative—can occur rapidly.

All actions taken to date have been guided by animal welfare priorities, professional advice, and the best available knowledge under the circumstances
 Lynn 

Following are photos of Baby Mwayi, which means ‘Luck” and she certainly needs it. Stay tuned for updates on her condition. If you have not done so scroll down to see our post about our newest fence project.

Fence project 2026

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

Elefence is sending Wildlife Action Group (WAG) $24,000 for fence construction thanks to a generous donor. The fence will extend the partially erected fence around the Dedza-Salima forest reserve. The fence around the Thuma reserve is complete now due to a previous Elefence contribution.

Constructing a fence is not an easy thing. First it must be approved by the Malawi government departments of forestry and wildlife. The fence line must then be surveyed to determine the exact route. Sometimes the route crosses village boundaries and must then be adjusted to insure that villages are cut off from areas they have used for generations even though they may have no clear title to the property. Negotiations with the village chiefs which border the route are critical to insure their cooperation. After all of these steps construction can begin once the rainy season ends.

WAG had secured funding for purchasing the fence materials but had no money for labor, survey services and the hiring of a qualified construction manager. The local villagers are hired as workers and their wages are a significant source of income in an an area where there is almost no work available. Funds were also required for purchasing food for the workers and paid village women to prepare and serve food to the workers. The fence is solar powered but must be patrolled regularly and maintained. The WAG rangers have other duties so again the villagers are hired for this.

A fence protects both the villages from marauding wildlife as well as defining the border of the forest reserves. A couple of elephants can destroy a farmers entire harvest in one night which often calls for the killing of the elephants. Elephants and cape buffalos are dangerous when the locals attempt to drive them away. In the last three years 5 persons have been killed by elephants in the area of the reserves.

A fence also provides a clear boundary of the reserves. Persons inside the fence without a permit to gather dead wood for cooking and heating or cutting bamboo for construction are usually doing something illegal such as poaching wildlife or cutting trees for making charcoal.

Following are photos from a previous fence construction project.

Clearing the fence line
WAG rangers working on the fence
Villagers preparing for the installation of a new fence

Chief’s Council 2025

On By Jon Stevenson2 Comments

Malawi was formally called Nyasaland and became independent from British rule in 1964.

Malawi is a unitary presidential republic with three branches of government consisting of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The president is both the Head of State and the Head of Government. So on a national level it operates very much as most constitutional democracies do. Out in the rural areas which covers most of the country things are a bit different.

The local villages are still very much tribal in nature with a village being controlled by a chief. A chief has significant power over how a village is operated as well as how it interacts with those outside. A chief receives the title from a lineage which passes down through the mother. Interestingly a woman can be a chief if no male heir exists.

In 2022 Dick and I were privileged to attend a council of chiefs organized by Lynn Clifford the Field Operations Manager of the Wildlife Action Group (WAG). The meeting was called to discuss problems which existed in the villages and how they affected the two forest reserves. While we could not understand most of what was said each chief had the opportunity to speak about their situation. It was truly an opportunity to see how things work on a local level.

In late 2025 there was a coordinated attack on the forest reserves resulting in the slaughter of wildlife, the cutting of trees and destruction of part of the fence. It was most likely organized by criminal gangs supported by some of the local population. The WAG rangers are not equipped to handle a large-scale assault like this and the local police were called in to put down the incursion and restore order.

In order to prevent this again Lynn called a chiefs meeting from the affected areas. Most of the local population supports the WAG efforts to protect the forests and appreciates the help that WAG provides with agricultural advice, livestock support, water wells and education of students. At the meeting individual chiefs were asked to sign a pledge to support WAG’s efforts and assist with the reporting of criminal activity and participating in conservation efforts.

The pledges were physically signed by individual chiefs and were not some empty promises. A signed pledge by a chief had strong cultural significance and violation of the oath was regarded as shameful and rarely breached. The hope is that these pledges will prevent any occurrence of intrusion into the reserves.

MALAWI TRIP PART 3

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

For our trip we wanted to take something for the WAG rangers. In communicating with Lynn she suggested we bring some ‘beanies’ or what we call stocking caps. Winter in Malawi can get cold, especially at night when the rangers are on patrol or stationed at one of the satellite camps throughout the forests. We contacted a local company to produce these with the Elefence logo on them. A couple of our loyal supporters stepped up to fund the purchase. We passed them out to as many of the rangers we encountered and left the balance from the original 50 with WAG. The rangers seemed to appreciate them and some even wore the on a couple of warm days.

On our second day in camp we went on a pangolin feeding bush walk with the rangers. A description of our walk is in an earlier post in the blog. While we were on the walk a radio call came in telling us to come back to camp because MR. M was coming. We did not know who he was but figured he must be someone of importance. We jumped into the Land Cruiser and bumped our way back to camp where we discovered MR. M was an elephant, so named because he had what looked like a M on one ear. I could not see it. The video below was shot from my hut. I remembered that I had heard something big outside my hut in the middle of the night but I elected not to go out and check. Of course my grass hut would not offer much protection as an elephant could walk through it without any trouble.

One afternoon while we were in camp a tip came in that a poacher was operating in Thuma forest. A team of rangers were called up to investigate. They suited up and we ferried them out into the area where he was reported to be operating. The rangers carried large packs and they were to spend three days in the forest patrolling and watching for the poacher. They caught him on the second night and he was brought in for trial. Unfortunately he had already killed a warthog but he will be going to prison for a long time as Malawi courts hand down some severe penalties for poaching.

We made several trips to the lodge being built to attract tourists to Malawi. Lynn is directly supervising the design construction and it will be beautiful when complete.

We went to one of the ranger satellite camps in the forest and spent a night. These camps are even more spartan than the base camp but it gave us more appreciation for the dedication of the rangers.

We went to the local market in Salima. It looked like there was a great deal of produce available but Lynn reminded us that this was right after harvest so things looks pretty good. Unfortunately there is little in the way of preservation so what is not consumed quickly will go to waste.

We left Malawi with a much better appreciation for the work being done by WAG. The crushing poverty we saw was depressing but it was offset by the spirit of the Malawi people. For much of the time Dick, Lynn and myself were the only white people we saw but I never felt any animosity from the locals. As we rode along through the villages the people would wave and the children would run out to the road and jump and clap. Malawi is called the “Warm Heart of Africa” and I can see why.

The Wag proved:

Stay tuned for a major announcement!

Malawi trip, Part 2

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

Our trip to Malawi had several goals. First was to meet Lynn Clifford, Field Operations Manager of Wildlife Action Group (WAG) for the Thuma and Dedza-Salima Forest reserves. We had corresponded with Lynn over two years but not able to travel due to the Covid restrictions.

Lynn Clifford

Second was to review the fence we funded, thanks to a generous donor, which was the last section to encircle the Thuma forest. It is always our policy to make sure the money we send is actually being used as intended. Since the completion of the fence there has been zero human elephant conflict around Thuma much to the delight of the villages in the area. Their crops are now safe from marauding wildlife. It only takes one or two elephants to wipe out and entire harvest and leave a family fighting for survival. Raids by wildlife usually calls for killing the animals.

Solar power supply for the Elefence fence.

A fence also defines a clear boundary around the forest. Persons inside the fence without a permit to harvest bamboo for construction or to gather dead wood were usually doing something illegal such as poaching wildlife or cutting trees for charcoal production. The pictures below were taken of the same hillside inside the fence over three years. The first one shows the land almost completely denuded of vegetation. The second shows how the forest can recover if given the opportunity to regenerate.

Thirdly we wanted to review all the various community and ecological programs established by WAG to see where else we could help. Our primary mission is building solar powered electric fences but it is not possible to build a fence without the cooperation of the local villages surrounding the forest. The villages have had access to the forest for generations and you cannot take that way without providing them with alternatives. We toured the area with Austin Chimbalanga, the WAG Community Outreach Officer.

We visited several villages to see what programs WAG was supporting. WAG employs an agronomist to teach the local people how to grow and improve the yields in their gardens. They also supply poultry and goats which the villages can raise for protein, milk and to sell to provide income. They are taught beekeeping which is another generator of income.

Community garden
Bee hive. Raised to keep Honey Badgers and other animals out.

One thing three villages requested was a water well or borehole as it is called in Africa. We raised funds which were matched by other donors and the results were reported in a previous post.

We visited an elementary and secondary school, meeting with the staff and visiting the classrooms. Elementary school is mandatory and free for grades 1-8 however it is horribly crowded. The one we visited had 832 students and only 13 teachers. A 64 to 1 ration is not very conducive to learning. The teachers however were dedicated and did their best for the students. High school is optional if the parents can pay for it, about $150/year. Unfortunately even this meager amount is well beyond the means of the average family. About 1 out of 25 children get an education beyond the 8th grade. After learning all this we started a scholarship program and pay for 10 students to attend high school each year.

Elementary classroom
High School class

We were honored to attend a council of village chiefs with Lynn. The group discussed the problems they were facing and various solutions. We could not understand the discussions but Lynn told us one of the main concerns was the threat from local gangs who poached wildlife and cut trees for charcoal production. These are not individuals feeding their family but rather organized gangs who routinely were a danger to the locals as well as the rangers who patrol the forest. Rangers have been injured and even killed by these gangs. Lynn emphasized that the villages had to work together to support each other and report illegal activity to WAG or the local authorities. Elefence supports the rangers by awarding a small cash bonus of $3 for every successful apprehension and conviction of a criminal. Note that two of the chiefs were women. Transfer of power to a new chief passes through the mother and sometimes there is no male heir so it will go to the next female in line.

Council of Chiefs

We visited what Lynn called “An end of life clinic” which is what we refer to as a hospice center. The clinic is funded by a charity from Ireland and Lynn sits on their board. They dispense pain and other medication to ease a person’s exit from life on earth. They also provide food for patients and their families since most of the patients cannot work. Most of the people in the photo have some kind of terminal disease and the clinic nurse told us that 90% the women which need the clinic’s services have cervical cancer. Lynn pays a nurse to make monthly visits to the local villages to educate women and urge them to come to the clinic to get tested before it is too late.

Lynn passing out food at the clinic

Part 3 of our trip will follow soon

Elephant Trivia Part 2

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

Elephants have some unique and interesting physical properties in addition to their immense size. These properties have evolved over millions of years into the amazing creature we know today. Consider the following:

Look at the large pad on the bottom of their front leg. This feature serves to distribute their weight so they do not sink in soft ground and provides a cushion as they walk. It will retract somewhat when they lift their leg so it breaks the suction from walking on muddy ground.

An elephants ears do much more than detect sounds. Their primary function is to radiate heat from their body. The ears are filled with capillaries which carry heat from the body so it is dispelled into the air. The ears also give evidence as to the elephants state of agitation. A nervous elephant will shake its head or rapidly flap their ears if they are apprehensive about something. They will also hold their ears out wide to make themselves look larger.

Certainly one of the most striking features are the tusks which protrude from their face. They are both a tool and a weapon. A tusk is a modified incisor tooth and grows throughout their life although it can be worn down from use. Elephants are right or left handed just like humans and the worn tusks tells you which. Unfortunately they are also the cause of hundreds of thousands of elephant being slaughtered for their ivory in order to be sold into the Asian market to make trinkets, jewelry and statues. The poaching of elephants for their ivory is responsible for the fact that there are less than 50 old ‘Tuskers’ left with massive tusks which were once a common sight in Africa.

A right handed elephant
One of the few super tuskers left

The trunk is a most useful appendage for an elephant. They eat with it, drink with it, smell with it, trumpet with it, and greet other elephants with it. Their sense of smell is four times greater than that of a bloodhound. They will use it to siphon up water to spray over their body or to give themselves a dust bath to protect their sensitive skin. It contains over 100,000 individual muscles which makes it both very strong and yet flexible. The prehensile tip can pick up something as small as a peanut and are able to crack the shell without breaking the nut inside.

Dame Daphne Sheldrick, naturalist extraordinaire

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

By Dick Houston & Jon Stevenson

Daphne Sheldrick was a remarkable individual. Born in 1934 in Kenya to British parents she became interested in animals at a young age and maintained that interest throughout her life. She is an author, an expert in animal husbandry and is particularly noted for the raising and reintegrating of orphaned elephants back into the wild. She along with her husband, David Sheldrick, was co-warden of Tsavo National Park for 21 years. She is the founder of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, (SWT) one of the oldest and most respected conservation organization. SWT is dedicated to the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife.

Baby elephants are particularly hard to raise. They are usually orphaned because the mother has been killed by poachers for its ivory. They are often so traumatized they refuse to eat or drink and will die mainly from grief and loneliness. If they can get them to feed they have to be bottle fed a special formula every 3 hours round the clock. For years no one knew what to feed them as they could not process cow’s milk. It was Daphne who discovered that coconut milk is most like that from a female elephant and mixed with baby formula baby elephants could digest it properly. Her discovery is credited with saving thousands of baby elephants who would otherwise starve to death.

Sheldrick was a recognized authority on the rearing and rehabilitation of many wild creatures, including not only elephants but black rhinos, buffalos, zebras, elands, kudus, warthogs to name a few. For her work as a conservationist she was awarded an MBE, Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, by Queen Elizabeth and separately elevated to UNEP’s Global 500 Roll of Honor. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine by Glasgow University along with several other prestigious recognitions from Kenyon, British and conservation organizations.

The page below is from an interview down by Time magazine in 2012. Daphne died in 2018 after a battle with breast cancer but her legacy will be felt for generations to come. Elefence recommends reading her book, “Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story”.

One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the World!

On By Jon Stevenson2 Comments

By Dick Houston

A wounded ranger is pictured after a recent encounter with a gang of poachers. Fortunately it was only a flesh wound. But a WAG ranger was killed by a poacher a few years ago and another ranger was recently killed by an elephant while a third was gored by a cape buffalo. A forest ranger’s job is one of the most dangerous in the world. About 150 rangers worldwide die each year protecting wildlife according to the Thin Green Line (TGL) Foundation, an international charity.

Conflicts with poachers are responsible for 50 to 70% of ranger deaths on the job, according to data from TGL. The rest are attributed to daily challenges such as hazardous environments and dangerous animals – especially elephants and Cape buffalos.

Africa is know for its vast nature reserves, ecotourism and educational approach to conservation. Unfortunately, armed poachers and militant gangs are targeting African rangers. In Africa, an astounding 82% of rangers said they have faced a life-threatening situation in the line of duty.

WOULD YOU TAKE ON THIS JOB FOR $3 A DAY? This is why Elefence, in partnership with Malawi’s Wildlife Action Group (WAG), works to find financial support for the 51-man strong team of rangers. Elefence and WAG initiated a Ranger Cash Reward Program for various rangers who’ve shown meritorious work in the field protecting elephants and other highly endangered wild animals.

Keep in mind, these men struggle to feed their families while they are on patrol in the forest 25 days a month living in primitive conditions with no access to emergency medical care. If badly wounded in the field their chances of survival are slim. There are no medics on the patrol teams. ( Our pioneer Elefence trustee, Max Seymour, was a battlefield medic in Viet Nam, and knows well how crucial immediate emergency care is in the field.) {see Elefence team bios on our website, http://www.elefence.org.}

Elefence has just given the 51 rangers Christmas bonuses of $10 each. It is humbling and emotionally gripping to see these men so thrilled to receive such a modest amount. We wish it could be more , but we can only give what is contributed since Elefence and WAG are small organizations, continually and frustratingly, challenged to find funding. Sad that in a world run by billionaires these brave rangers who work to save fragile ecosystems and wildlife for the world’s future, scramble for crumbs.

Without funding, the rangers of Thuma and Dedza-Salima forest reserves will not be able to continue their work. If you are interested in helping these brave men, please contact us directly or make a contribution directly on the Elefence website. If you have donated recently we thank you -and be assured that donations go directly to our efforts in Malawi. Elefence International Inc. is a USA registered 501(c)3 charity and all contributions are tax-exempt.

Please remember to frequently check our blog for more stories about the rangers and their ongoing work to protect the forest and its wildlife

Merry Christmas everyone from ELEFENCE and WAG. Thank you for reading.

Lynn Clifford, WAG Field Officer Of Thuma and Dezdza-Salima Forest Reserves, is seen surrounded by her brave anti-poaching rangers who have recently expanded to 51 members. Thanks to Lynn and her team the Thuma Forest Reserve is now the most protected forest in Malawi. Work continues in the Dedza-Salima Reserve.

The Language of Elephants

On By Jon StevensonLeave a comment

By Jon Stevenson & Dick Houston

At one time there was a theory put forth that elephants were telepathic. They seemed to be able control their actions when they could not see one another and neither did they make any noise. A herd would be spread out foraging when they would all stop and come together and move off in one direction. If there was a predator in the area they would gather and circle their babies to protect them. Well, we know now that they are not telepathic but they do communicate in ways we are only recently beginning to understand.

When Paula and I were on safari with Dick a few years ago, we were in a blind watching a small group of bulls at a water hole. We were within 15-20 feet of them which was exciting on its own but we could hear this low rumbling coming from different individuals. I asked our guide if that was their stomach growling and he replied “No, they are talking to one another”. I have learned since that elephant researchers have recorded these sounds and when played back they noted a reaction from specific individuals. They conclusion was that the sounds made related to a specific individual much like calling our someone’s name to a group.

Elephants are also known to communicate seismically – vibrations produced by impacts upon the earth. Foot stomping or false charges produce tremors which can be felt by other elephants up to 20 miles away.

Surprisingly, elephants produce Ultra Low Frequency sounds that are below the range of human hearing. ULF sounds can travel long distances, up to 10 miles under the right conditions, both through the air as well as the ground. Other elephants can hear and interpret these sounds. Researchers have used special equipment to record these ULF sounds and have logged over 100 different sounds and combination of sounds made by elephants. We don’t know what they are saying yet, but there is no doubt that elephants do communicate.