(The photo above shows a baby elephant with a wire snare caught around its ankle. The snare was placed in a field by poachers.)
On our recent journey to Kenya for a social work class, we gained insight into Context, Conservation, Empowerment, and Sustainability. Through sharing our many experiences, I hope to connect our community with some world ideas and promote inspiration for what we want to see in our local communities - and even how we fit into the larger picture with the world.
One of our first stops in Kenya was The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi. This wildlife trust is a baby elephant orphan sanctuary. The baby elephants come here for multiple reasons, but unfortunately a huge reason is poaching. Baby elephants do not survive on their own, and when their mothers are killed a huge need prevails for the babies left behind. By not having any physical contact, the baby will be emotionally deprived of its needs and will eventually die.
Fortunately, passion creates a desire to change things. From one family's passion for Kenya and its wilderness, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was created. It is the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world to date and one of the pioneering conservation organizations for habitat and wildlife protection in East Africa. Because of this family, orphan elephants are now not only surviving - but thriving - in the care of this sanctuary.
Their mission statement is:
"The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces all measures that complement the conservation, preservation, and protection of wildlife. These include anti-poaching, safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing, and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in wild terms when grown."
As social workers from Durango and Denver we saw resilience in this community, but we also saw a country facing an issue: poaching and a human/animal connection crisis. When we do not care for animals or see their value, how does this impact our health?
Killing large, beautiful animals (see photos) - who help create a healthy ecosystem - for the profit of ivory sends a message. Some of the leaders in one-health, conservation and animal welfare in Kenya have decided that they can no longer solve this issue through strict hard science, politics, or discipline. Instead, they realize that it is education and a connection to living things that creates change in communities. They're using futbol (soccer) as a means to teach people about the wildlife in that area and just how poaching destroys not only animals, but the biodiversity off of which humans also thrive. For the first time ever they want to hire social workers to help solve these complex issues in a team.
How are we connected to poaching in Kenya, being that we are so far away? Well, we know that buying any type of ivory promotes poaching. On a global scale, it is my hope that we also desire preservation of one of the few places left in the world with a truly diverse ecosystem. Parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America are some of the few remaining places left on earth with thriving, healthy ecosystems. Our health is not just connected to our local practices, but also how we see the world fitting in. Sure, our lands are divided by water, cultural beliefs, and politics - but it is the water in between which carries an exchange of ideas. Locally, I can't help but think of the health of the Animas River which spreads across many counties, cultures, and different beliefs yet still impacts all of us in some form.
What might impact our health in the living environment in our local counties? What will we do as a community to educate ourselves and others so we have healthier futures?
For more information on The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, please see:https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/
