Nestled in the Magaliesberg Mountains, only one hour from Johannesburg and Pretoria, The Elephant Sanctuary at Hartbeespoort Dam lies in a malaria-free area. It is surrounded by natural indigenous bush and is home to impala, klipspringer, baboons, porcupine, caracal, leopard, a host of other small mammals, 350 bird species and, of course, four magnificent African Elephants:-
Amarula
Male.
Amarula is the oldest bull at the sanctuary in Hartebeestpoort dam. He spent most of his life in different zoo’s in South Africa and had very little direct contact with people before arriving at the sanctuary. He moved from the Bloemfontein zoo to the sanctuary in 2008
Khumba
Female – born 1994.
Khumba is the matriarch at the sanctuary and she loves all the attention she gets from the guests and the handlers. She is the “mother” of the herd and will always keep an protective eye over the rest.
Masadi
Female – born 1994
Masadi is a little bit bigger than other 15 year old elephants. Masadi is “second in command” and helps maintain the family structure. She loves interaction with the other elephants and has a much louder trumpet than usual. She also loves hearing her own voice, so if there are loud trumpeting coming from the enclosures you can be sure it is Masadi “singing”.
Temba
Female – born in 2000
Temba is the “baby” of the herd and she loves the fact that all the other elephants always look after her and smother her with love and attention. Temba is very fond of children and thrive on all the attention she gets from them.
The Elephant Sanctuary provides a “halfway house” for young African elephants in need of a temporary home. It is the only operation in South Africa that provides for elephants in this way. It is the vision of the centre to release all the elephants into an environment where they can be more independent once they are older.
Overview
The Elephant Sanctuary provides a “halfway house” for young African elephants in need of a temporary home. It is the only operation in South Africa that provides for elephants in this way. It is the vision of the centre to release all the elephants into an environment where they can be more independent once they are older.
