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TRAVELvisionary Lente Roode, founder andowner of the Hoedspruit EndangeredSpecies Centre (HESC). Everythingbegan with an orphaned babyelephant named Jabulani. At fourmonths old, Jabulani was foundstuck in the mud of a silt dam,abandoned by his herd. He wasseverely dehydrated and in a stateof shock. Many hands eventuallyfreed him from the mud, but therewas doubt that he would survive.Lente, in close consultation withveterinary experts, developed aspecial milk formula for the littleelephant. Within a year, he was backto full health. When the time came torelease him into the wild, Jabulanirefused to go. He had grown fond ofhis human companions – his family– and reacted as though they wererejecting him. Attempt after attemptto reintroduce Jabulani failed. Justwhen things were beginning to lookreally desperate, news of 12 trainedZimbabwean elephants in dire needof a home reached Lente, and arescue mission was organised. Threeweeks later, all 12 adult animalsarrived safely in South Africa.Spectators watched anxiously as littleJabulani was introduced to this new,unfamiliar herd. When the matriarch,Tokwe, reached out to Jabulaniin an immediate and affectionatewelcome, sighs of relief and tears ofjoy were quick to follow. And so, CampJabulani was born.Now, a very full-grown Jabulanistepped forward to greet us. Myhusband and I rubbed his enormousears, soft, like chamois leather;dropped a fistful of pellets into hisupturned trunk, and clambered ontohis broad back. When we startedwalking, I likened the sensation tobeing on top of a moving scaffolding,albeit one that rumbled every nowand then, the vibrations ripplingthrough his body and making our ownshiver. It was an incredible sensation.Once all the guests were settled ontoan elephant of their own, we set offinto the bush. I was astounded by howlittle noise these gentle giants madeas they padded through the veld, theirenormous feet like cushions on theearth.Jabulani took the lead, stoppingevery so often to tear branches offtrees – “takeaways” the guide in frontof me called them. We were regaledwith fact after fact about elephants –how they can carry as much as 20%of their body weight on their backs,how they eat as much as 250 kg offood a day, and how 120 l of bloodflows through the veins of a full-grownmale. But, most amazing of all, theycan ‘talk’ to each other over a distanceof 60 km. That deep rumbling in theirchests – that’s them talking, and theydo it at frequencies so low, humanscan’t always hear it.But it was our night safari onelephant back – the only experienceof this kind in the world – that leftthe most poignant memories. Myhusband, being six foot seven inchestall (a full two metres), insisted thatwe ride on Sebakwe, the largestelephant, who happens to stand 3,4 mat the shoulder. Astride Sebakwe, wewere eye-level with whatever was atleast four metres off the ground, andI found myself staring over the tops ofthe acacia trees, far into the distance.As we set off into the darkness,Sebakwe gave a long, deep rumblethat I felt reverberate within my ownchest. It was answered by a roar inthe distance. “It’s just a lion,” theguide assured us. It sounded far awayenough not to cause concern, until Ishone my spotlight a little ways offand found, lying just there, maybe10m away, a thick-maned lion. There’sno chance that our herd of docileelephants didn’t hear him, smell himand see him, but they showed nohesitation at all. They just continuedto trudge slowly into the night. Ilooked up – the sky now completelydark, with the evening star twinklingjust above the horizon – and thought,well, if they’re not worried, I won’tbe either, and settled in to enjoythe ride. ✥About the lodgeCamp Jabulani, a Relais &Châteaux property, is located on a14 000 ha Big Five private gamereserve in Hoedspruit, Limpopo.The main lodge has a large diningroom, lounge, open-air spa, fitnesscentre and sauna, as well as adedicated business centre withwireless internet connectivity. Thelodge features six ultra-luxuriousopen-plan suites, situated alongthe edge of a dry river bed. Onthe wooden deck of each suite,guests can make use of the sunloungers or private plunge pool.Private Zindoga Villa features twoindividual suites connected by ajoint lounge and dining area. Eachunit has a large bedroom with ensuite bathroom, wooden deck andprivate, heated plunge pool.Phone +27 12 460 5605/7348,reservations@campjabulani.com orvisit www.campjabulani.com.Progressive women in business 25