We at FoFaFiFl Club are trying to do our part to help eradicate the exploitation of animals in the name of tourism.
Both of our birthdays are in the month of June and we usually take a short trip that month to celebrate the same. In 2020 we couldn't go on the trip that we had planned due to the pandemic-induced lockdown, so we started researching meaningful gifts that we can give each other. We found a wildlife conservation organization in Kenya and liked their initiative of "adopting an orphaned baby animal (mainly elephants)" and when they grow up, they are reintegrated back into the wild. We adopted two elephants - Ziwadi (who suffers from epilepsy) and Naboishu. We also chose Max, a 14 year old rhino who is genetically blind by birth and can't be released into the wild.
We hope to meet Ziwadi, Naboishu and Maxwell someday!
We also sponsor the wellbeing and welfare of a 28 years old Asian elephant, Pearl, who was rescued and retired from logging in Cambodia. Read about her by clicking here.
Story of Ziwadi and Naboishu
On Farha's birthday Shabbir gifted her the adoption of orphaned elephants, Ziwadi and Naboishu.
Ziwadi is a 2 years old female elephant who is the most special amongst the other orphans in the Nursery where she lives. Her story is as special as she is. She was spotted as a lone calf wandering in the greater Masai Mara and was monitored for safety in case she is welcomed into a herd. After a number of days she was still alone having been rejected by multiple herds, and was eventually reacued to save her from human-wildlife conflict.
When she was rescued she had little strength due to the combination of parasites and lack of milk. The story doesn't end there; after a few days Ziwadi lost her eyesight for sometime and also started experiencing uncontrollable seizures. Upon diagnosis it was found that she suffered from epilepsy. While she has been resilient and has shown great signs of improvement, she is still slower than the other orphans in the Nursery.
This special little girl's name Ziwadi means 'a gift' in Swahili. We picked Ziwadi as we fell in love with her after listening to her story, seeing her unique way of drinking water straight from the bucket, without using her trunk like all other elephants and living life in her own terms not caring about the other orphans in the Nursery herd.
Naboishu is a 1.5 years old male elephant who was rescued in the midst of the pandemic on March 28, 2020. In the Maa language of the Masai, who inhabit the area from where he came, Naboishu means 'unity'. He has a larger-than-life personality like his birth mother Namunyak, who was a well-known female elephant from the Masai Mara. Sadly, the reason for Naboishu's rescue was his mother's mysterious death, which left him orphaned and separated from his herd. We picked Naboishu as he was the last male rescue in the Nursery and we fell in love with his ears, which stick out whenever he runs to get his dose of milk.
Story of Maxwell
On Shabbir's birthday Farha gifted him the adoption of an orphaned rhino, Maxwell - lovingly called Max.
Max is a 14 year old rhino who is genetically blind since birth. Due to his disability, he got separated from his birth mother when he was just a few months old. He was found crying near the bushes unable to find his way. Since his rescue, Max has been living in a nursery for orphan animals (0 to 3 years of age). While most of the orphans are reintegrated into the wild when they come of age, due to Max's disability he will not have a similar fate. This is because, in the wild Max has threat from other territorial rhinos and poachers. So, the nursery has decided to give him a forever home with them. We wanted to be a part of Max's journey so that he can live a little better for the rest of his life.
Stay tuned for more updates on Ziwadi, Naboishu and Maxwell...
Do let us know in the comments if you would like to help Ziwadi, Naboishu and Maxwell out by making your own small contribution and we will share the details with you.