HOEDSPRUIT – The Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development Trust (HERD) continues to mourn the tragic passing of our beloved carer, Israel Shambira, who lost his life on September 13 after an unexpected incident involving Limpopo, a 19-year-old female elephant in our care.

Read more: HERD carer gorged by elephant

In the days following the incident, our dedicated carers experienced heightened stress and concern, particularly regarding safety around Limpopo.

After extensive consultation with our senior carers, elephant manager Tigere Matipedza, HERD founder Adine Roode, and elephant behaviour expert Brett Mitchell, HERD resolved to move Limpopo, along with six of her companions, to a secure 35ha enclosure at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC).

The plan was to house them there under a temporary holding permit while a suitable long-term rewilding site could be identified.

The remaining nine elephants were to remain at HERD.

The available enclosure allowed for protected-contact management of the group, a decision made on ethical and humane grounds to prioritise both staff safety and responsible care.

The selection of elephants to be relocated was based on the best available data and their established social bonds.

“On Friday, September 19, as the selected elephants began their walk from the HERD boma, they and the remaining herd vocalised and became highly excitable. Within minutes, the elephants who had left, quickly returned to the others. During this heightened excitement, Limpopo displayed hyper-aggression towards one of our senior carers, Last Scholar, and our operations manager, Stefan du Toit, who was present as a safety guide.

Following further expert guidance and careful deliberation, HERD was faced with the devastating, but unavoidable, decision to euthanise Limpopo. This step was taken solely to safeguard our carers, herd, and reserve. Limpopo was humanely euthanised on expert advice,” says Lerissa van Biljon, media manager at HERD.

This loss has left the carers, co-workers, and community deeply heartbroken.

“Our thoughts remain firmly with Israel’s wife and children. We are committed to supporting his family during this painful time and have already been moved by the compassion shown by our community. We are honoured to welcome Israel’s wife and family from Zimbabwe to HERD, where together we will pay tribute to his legacy.”

“This has been an incredibly painful time for our HERD family,” added van Biljon.

She said that they kindly ask for compassion and understanding as their team processes these traumatic events.

“HERD will continue working closely with advisors to strengthen our safety protocols and uphold our responsibility to both elephants and carers. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has stood by us during this time of profound loss. Your compassion helps us honour the memory of Israel and Limpopo, whose legacies will continue to guide our work. All existing and future adoption funds for Limpopo will be redirected into a dedicated Elephant Research and Welfare Fund, established in her memory to help strengthen future,” she concluded.