Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya has issued a formal response after a video surfaced online showing a visitor feeding beer to one of its elephants. The conservancy confirmed that the incident at its Wildlife Rescue Centre (WRC) last year involved a local day visitor, and said the behaviour was “wholly unacceptable, dangerous and completely against our values”.
Ol Jogi said the matter was “dealt with internally at the time” and new measures have since been introduced to prevent any recurrence. “We are deeply disturbed by the event and the impact of the video and photos as their message is contrary to all of Ol Jogi’s values,” said Mike Fischer, CEO of Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy.
In its statement, Ol Jogi clarified that the elephant in the video, Bupa, is a long-term resident of the WRC. “Bupa is part of Ol Jogi’s WRC having arrived as an abandoned orphan due to a culling operation in Zimbabwe decades ago and is an integral part of the animals in the WRC, which provides a safe environment for rescued animals that cannot return to the wild.
“The WRC also plays a vital role as a conservation education programme, which leverages the opportunity of in-situ wildlife to communicate the importance of nature to approximately 18 000-20 000 Kenyan students and adults annually as well as some of the international tourism guests who book a stay at Ol Jogi Home.”
All revenues earned by Ol Jogi and the WRC are reinvested into conservation initiatives, the conservancy stated.
