Friday, March 23, 2018

DSWT's Rescue Efforts Saves Elephant Calf Sagala


An alumnus of Washington University, Michael Moshan is a passionate musician who serves as co-executive producer of Rock the SAT, which uses original rock music as a means for helping students memorize key vocabulary for the SAT. Additionally, Michael Moshan serves as president of Haven Tusk Title, which provides comprehensive title services to individuals buying and selling homes and donates 10 percent of all net earnings to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT).

Established by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick in 1977 in honor of her late husband, DSWT is a Kenya-based conservation organization that primarily works to rescue and rehabilitate orphan elephants. On September 25, 2017, DSWT works manager Trevor Jennings was completing a routine inspection of a water boreholes throughout the Dika plains when he discovered a starving and abandoned two year old elephant calf lying dangerously close to a pride of lions. 

The area in which the elephant was found had undergone a severe drought in September that claimed the lives of roughly 400 elephants, but DSWT staff was determined to protect orphaned babies and that's what it did with the aforementioned elephant, which it named Sagala after a mountainous range near the Dika plains.

Realizing he had to act quickly, Jennings contacted the DSWT headquarters, which prompted one of its helicopters to make a 40-minute flight to the scene. DSWT's ground team was able to restrain and capture the Sagala before transferring her to the helicopter. Upon arrival at the DSWT nursery, Sagala grew weaker despite receiving nutrition, but her strength returned after a few days and she was subsequently released in Nairobi National Park.