31st January
Today was a day I’ll never forgetI witnessed Florence, our elderly elephant, finally rest on the ground for the first time in her life. It brought home to me just how deprived she had been of ordinary comforts for so many years.
Florence was snatched from the wild as a calf, and immediately forced into a life of servitude. For decades, she was made to stand day after day, ferrying tourists in a relentless cycle, while she should have been roaming freely in a herd. Only this year were we able to orchestrate her rescue and offer her the chance at a gentle life.
The Trust for Elephant Welfare took matters into their own hands when they heard of Florences plight. With much care and planning, they organised a rescue operation, determined to give her the comfort and proper care so long denied her. We collected her from the dreadful compound in Kent where she’d toiled her entire life, bringing her straight to the Eden Elephant Sanctuary in Cumbria.
Her condition on arrival was heartbreakingFlorence was rail-thin, almost completely toothless, and her skin was cracked and dry. But here, at last, she had the peace and medical attention she so desperately needed. The keepers at the sanctuary said that many rescued elephants remain wary, sometimes for months, crippled by anxiety and unable even to lie down to rest, always on guard. Some have never even tried to settle on the ground, so ingrained is their mistrust. Yet, after eighty years of ceaseless labour, Florence was utterly spent.
After her first night in the sanctuary, she didnt have the energy to rise to her feet. The keepers watched her closely, springing into action to support her, and determined that she should have every comfort as she acclimatised to this new world. They kept round-the-clock watch, making sure she was as comfortable as possible while she adjusted.
There is still a long road ahead for Florencerecovery from such hardship cannot happen overnight. But with careful feeding, gentle walks along the sanctuarys meadows, and restorative mud baths, shes slowly regaining her strength. Now, at last, Florence is beginning to experience the life she was always meant to havea life of peace, freedom, and dignity.
I feel hopeful for her, and so grateful to be a part of giving her the kindness shes waited a lifetime to receive.
