Gap The Elephant tribute - Royal Zambezi Lodge

Gap The Elephant

A Tribute to our beloved friend Gap The Elephant

It is with heavy hearts that we report the passing of Gap, the tallest member of our animal family, Gap the Elephant was fondly named after the distinctive opening in his right ear that made him so easily recognisable to us and all of our guests over the years as he would wander through camp. So many of you know the story of our beloved Gap, and will have met him in person as he has been visiting us for many years, and whom, together with Conservation Lower Zambezi and the Department of National Parks & Wildlife we nursed back to health in 2018 with a much needed colon cleanse (read more about this here).

Gap visited us again recently and was once again constipated, but this time he also showed signs of wounds to his head, which were infected.

Despite the very best efforts once again made by the esteemed Conservation Lower Zambeziand the Department of National Parks & Wildlife, Gap was unable to be saved and was put to eternal rest.

This incident highlights the extreme importance of conservation organisations and Government departments, such as DNPW and CLZ, to educate and mitigate the very real consequences of human-wildlife interaction on the ground in Zambia’s wild spaces. For people who share their land with wildlife the struggle and the contest is real, with both human and wildlife casualties as the result.

It is through tailored education programmes, community engagement, and conservation and environmental protection efforts conducted by CLZ and DNPW, as well as many other organisations, that we can all work together to ensure the safe passage of wildlife through protected wildlife corridors. Equally important, is to continue to work hand-in-hand with communities to ensure the safety and well-being of the communities who live alongside these protected spaces and Game Managements Areas to minimise the risk of human-wildlife interaction.

This one is for you Gap… may you roam forever free through the Mopanes.