I don’t think there are many wildlife rangers out there who look after a sub-adult Eland when they are not watching over wild elephants. My name is Ntaiya and I am an Elephant Aware ranger but I am also Siriwe’s keeper.
Let me tell you a little bit about her…
The Common Eland (Tragelaphus oryx) is the second largest antelope in the world, males can stand up to six foot at the shoulder. Siriwe is a female Common Eland and she is now 9 months old. At the moment when she stands at her full height, Siriwe’s horns almost reach my shoulders. When Siriwe is fully grown, she could weigh up to 445 kilograms or 1000 pounds! She will reach full maturity at around one year old.
When Siriwe was just two days old, a Maasai herdsman brought her into our care after he reportedly found her alone and abandoned. It was thought that her mother was sadly killed by poachers. We named her Siriwe because it means “Eland” in the Maa language. Though I am not the only ranger who cares for Siriwe, I do spend the most time with her and therefore I have a unique bond with her.
To say Siriwe is special, is an understatement! At least, I have never known an Eland…or any animal for that matter, who likes to eat soap. Yes she does. She loves to sneak into any of the tents and eat the soap! But it does not seem to bother her. I do try to keep her from eating soap whenever I can however. She also loves any kind of food, especially fruit and biscuits! She enjoys being right next to people and she often lies right next to all the rangers at meal times. If I’d let her, I think Siriwe would climb onto my lap. She loves to lick people and its because Elands love the natural salt that is on our skin.
Despite all of Siriwe’s idiosyncrasies, she is growing up in her own natural environment. This is her home as much as it is mine. She is already venturing further and further everyday and she grazes more. She is learning her way around the vegetation she is supposed to eat and there is even a herd of wild Eland who stay near the camp, likely attracted by her presence. We are hoping that one day soon, Siriwe will go out and join them. We have raised three Eland in the past and all of them returned to the wild successfully.
In the meantime, I better get back to watching her before she eats my soap! After that I will be going back on another patrol…
