Cheering myself up this morning and avoiding the bathe, sleepy and I do not want work….
 I am a Light Cycle.
I drive fast, I turn fast, I do everything fast. I even breakfast. I tend to confuse people with my sudden changes of heart. Sometimes I even confuse myself, which tends to cause problems. What Video Game Character Are You? |
The allergy medicine is working great – not itchy any more, but tired a lot and can’t seem to shake a cold, I need to as I need to start the (yukky) nasal spray.
The secret to nurturing a sense of compassion is the ability to visualise oneself in someone else’s circumstances, and interpret how one would
feel coping with such a situation.
Imagine being a six month old elephant baby, (and although you duplicate a human
of that age, because you are an elephant, you are born with the ability to walk – and walk – and walk). But when you do so you are always alongside, or beneath a very loving mother, and at all times surrounded and touched by a very caring and loving elephant family – in other words, a cherished little treasure amongst some very gentle and caring adults. Imagine being the centre of a tragedy, the likes of which you are unable to understand – your entire family either killed, or running for their lives, dispersed far and wide in every direction, and yourself suffering a deep wound in the right hand jaw, so deep and serious that part of your jawbone breaks away. You find yourself alone, suddenly so alone that there is no-one to care for you. You walk – and walk – and walk, becoming more and more thirsty because the place which was once home to George and Joy Adamson, namely KORA NATIONAL PARK is a semi desert environment, a stretch of extremely arid and hostile, thorny bush-land in the far Northern Frontier of Kenya.
Your wound very soon becomes so infected that the pain is intense, and this combined with ever increasing thirst and hunger saps the moisture and strength
from your small body. You are terrified; a vulnerable target for the lions and
hyaenas who could tear you to pieces at any moment. Suddenly you encounter
some very Big Strangers, all adult bulls, moving rapidly, in a hurry to cover
this waterless stretch of country as soon as possible, like you fearful of dreaded humans. You try to join them, but soon you understand that you cannot
keep up, and they cannot wait for you, so you peel off in a search for water to
quench your burning thirst. You are alone once again, and you find a sandy
riverbed, but it is dry, although the scent of water beneath the surface is
tantalising. You climb wearily up the opposite bank, and walk – and
walk – and walk, this time along a man-made road, terrified, lonely and wounded,
becoming weaker and more dehydrated with every step. Then you actually come
across the dreaded enemy – humans who represent all that is dangerous and evil and who pose the greatest threat to all elephants, but at that moment, you are too
far gone to care and would actually welcome the blessed relief of death.
This is the story of little “Kora”, a calf aged about 6 months, found by National Park rangers wandering all alone, with no elephants anywhere near, along a remote road in Kora National Park on Thursday 21st April, the erstwhile home of George Adamson and his famous lions. He was found by Rangers on patrol from Meru National Park, about 50 kms from the nearest source of water, extremely emaciated and weak. What damaged his jaw is a mystery. It could have perhaps been the result of a bullet ricochet, ,as an X-ray has revealed a portion of his jaw bone has been shattered , and some of the bone fragments have been passing from his mouth. This area is extremely infected despite the long course of antibiotics which would suggest that still fragments of bone remain, but we are hopeful that they too will pass from the mouth in time, avoiding Kora having to be operated on.
Extreme starvation and dehydration in a baby elephant is always life threatening, as is anaesthesia, and it is for this reason that we have delayed putting his story on our web-page. However, he is such a brave little chap, and despite his injury,and a bout of bloat, (which needed a Buscopan injection during the night), he is feeding well, and becoming stronger by the day. He is a very endearing little calf with some of the biggest ears we have ever seen on one so small which makes him look just like the legendary “Dumbo”so we now share the story of this gallant little bull elephant with our supporters, knowing that he will then have an extended family that will care, and pray for his full recovery in the fullness of time.
To view photographs from the rescue please click on this link:
http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/updates/updates.asp?ID=37
To foster Kora please click on this link:
http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fosteringnew.asp?G=2&LP=4262005731-pic7a.jpg&N=135&FN=Kora
To make an online donation please click on this link:
http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/is/donate_now.asp
Most Sincerely,
Dr. Daphne Sheldrick M.B.E.
Please save an elephant….