Wild is Life: A place of wonder and compassion

With heartfelt thanks

(Kudu poised with their magnificent corkscrew horns at Wild is Life)

A very special highlight of my visits to Zimbabwe is going to see Roxy Danckwerts at the Edenic wonder she has created on the outskirts of Harare.

Wild is Life, home to the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery, is one of the four not-for-profits you help fund by subscribing to this newsletter.  The purpose of the elephant nursery is to support and raise baby elephants who have been orphaned, enabling them, in time, to return to the bush and be with their own kind - ‘re-wilding.’

In this post I’d like to pass on heartfelt thanks from Roxy and her team, for your continued support of her work through this incredibly challenging year, and also to share some news from my most recent time there.

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This year was a big one for the Wild is Life team. The time had come to relocate seven elephants from Harare to the Panda Masuie rewilding site near Victoria Falls – a 17 hour journey requiring specialist anaesthetics, vehicles, cranes and vet support throughout.

(Each elephant must be sedated, lifted by crane onto a suitable vehicle and enclosed in a special shelter for the marathon journey)

For reasons no one could have foreseen, Moyo, the herd matriarch, and an elephant with whom Roxy has the most special bond, was injured by another elephant during the journey, with wounds to her ear and legs.

Everyone pulled together through those dark (Southern hemisphere) winter weeks to bring her through a perilous time. There were moments when it was far from certain that Moyo was even going to survive. For weeks, Roxy spent every night in a sleeping bag next to her adopted daughter, notwithstanding the cold, the snakes and the visiting lions.

(Roxy and Moyo have had a special bond from the beginning)

Roxy and Moyo have always shared an ineffable connection, and Moyo’s trauma took a huge toll on Roxy. No sooner had Moyo turned a corner than it was Roxy who, after further dramas, suffered a broken rib, pneumonia and ended up being airlifted to an intensive care unit in hospital.  

It was Roxy who first taught me that elephants mirror the people they are with. In this case it seemed that Roxy herself was embodying Moyo’s suffering.  

Ultimately, both Moyo and Roxy have come through.  In Roxy’s words: “Today we are both standing taller and stronger, recovering from our intertwined destinies, trauma and injuries. It has been a time of growth, of sadness, of sharing, of learning and of course, of healing.”

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In the meantime, elephants continue to be orphaned and Roxy and her team continue to come to their rescue. The circle of love keeps turning. Wild is Life remains a sanctuary for many more creatures than only elephants. There are giraffes, kudu, baboons, monkeys, hyena, wildebeest and all manner of birds including ostriches at various stages of development.

(Skellum, the baboon, enjoying a special snack at Wild is Life)

And all is well with the re-wilding process at Panda Masuie where visiting the elephants is one of the highlights of our annual Mindful Safaris at Victoria Falls.

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From the lows over winter, one of the highs of the year came in October when Roxy was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in London from ifaw – the International Fund for Animal Welfare, who help sponsor Wild is Life/Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery.  The thoroughly deserved award is in recognition of Roxy rescuing over 50 elephants as well as countless other animals in need. What started out as a small operation in her garden, has grown into a full-blown sanctuary employing 120 members of staff including 25 carers.

In the words of Azzedine Downes, President and CEO: “What Roxy has done for elephants and other wild animals, is truly outstanding. She has frequently challenged the status quo and gone against the grain, defying what some said couldn’t be done – and done it. Her determination and devotion are inspirational on every level.”

(Roxy Danckwerts, back row, third from the left, at the London ifaw ceremony, where she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award)

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For me, a visit to Wild is Life is like stepping into one of the Pure Lands of the Buddhas, not only because it is so beautifully landscaped and lush, with giraffes, kudu, elephants and other magnificent animals so close you can sometimes touch them. But also because you sense that the whole place is the manifestation of loving kindness.

(Skye, the giraffe, is easily coaxed into a photo opp with a branch of tasty leaves)

(Sharing a special moment with Kadiki at Wild is Life)

Some of you may have made the connection between the Kadiki at Wild is Life and the fictional Kadiki in Africa Buddha, the novel I’m currently writing. One is, of course, the muse of the other, and Roxy generously agreed to be CEO – Chief Elephant Officer – reading my work to ensure that details of elephant orphans and their care are authentic.

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Roxy herself will always be the first to tell you that she couldn’t do it without her family and staff and supporters – all of which is true. But without her there would be no sanctuary. Her compassion-in-action is extraordinary, humbling, and inspiring in the most important way because it tangibly comes straight from her heart.

From her home on the property, Roxy never stops working or caring for her fellow sem chens (mind havers). There is nothing she won’t do for them, even putting her own health on the line. For many us the idea of not simply opening our heart to the suffering of others but taking decisive action to help remains more of an aspiration than an ongoing reality. But Roxy has been doing it for decades, mostly unrecognised.

It is an emotionally tough gig. As intensely social beings, it is utterly devastating for baby elephants to find themselves cut off completely from their mother and herd. Even though they receive round-the-clock love and food, sometimes nothing is enough to overcome the distress. They don’t always pull through.

The death of an elephant takes a heavy toll, so for someone with Roxy’s sensitivities, running an orphanage is like being on an endless roller coaster of highs and lows – but having to stay the course. She can’t fall in a heap for long because too many beings depend on her. Looking at all the gorgeous images on social media, it’s easy to imagine that life is all light and laughter at an animal sanctuary. But that is only part of the much wider and more complex story.

Driving away from Wild is Life, I often reflect that in Buddhism, “caring for others more than oneself” is one of the definitions of a bodhisattva. And it seems to me that the term is a poignant and appropriate description of Roxy herself.

So, from my heart to yours, thank you so much for helping me support Roxy and her incredible team. And let’s celebrate this for the extraordinary rare and precious opportunity that it is. Whatever else we do with our lives, and wherever in the world we live, at any moment of the day we can remind ourselves that right now, out there in the African bush are elephants and kudu, giraffes and all manner of other wondrous creatures, whose lives have been made immeasurably happier because of our collective efforts.

May all being have happiness and its causes!

May all beings be free from suffering!

A heartfelt thank you from Roxy and me

Please feel free to share this public post with anyone you know who may be interested.

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Hi Readers,

Raising funds for Wild is Life, and our other charities, is one of the main reasons why I write this newsletter. Of all the great virtues, Buddha taught generosity first. In giving we receive - immediately, in the happy knowledge of the virtue we are creating. And longer term in creating the karmic cause to experience future abundance.

If you are able, our little community here on Substack would love to welcome you as a paying subscriber. What you get each Saturday is an article or story from me, sharing the wisdom I have learned from my own lamas. More important is what you give: love, compassion and hope, manifest in the most extraordinary ways.

As we look to step into 2024, I very much hope that you may join our community of kindred spirits on this journey of compassion and wisdom.

Warmest wishes,

David

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