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- Published:
- 11 August 2019
In celebration of World Elephant Day, we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Murton – Director of the Wildlife Rescue department at Game Rangers International in Zambia.
World Elephant Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the struggles that elephants are facing so that we can do more to protect and conserve them – and Rachael is doing just that.
Photo by: James Suter
Across Africa, elephants are being killed at an unsustainable rate to sustain the ivory trade.
- Rachael Murton
Photo by: James Suter
Rachael has worked at GRI for over ten years, taking the organisation from strength to strength and helping to give so many vulnerable young elephants a second chance at life. The demand for ivory, particularly in the Asian market, sadly leads to the poaching of elephants for their tusks. When a female elephant is poached, a helpless calf is often left behind – frightened, defenseless and likely to starve. If a lone elephant calf is reported to Rachael and her team, they will do everything they can to deploy to the location of the calf as quickly as possible, rescuing and transporting the calf to the Elephant Orphanage, where around-the-clock care is given.
Quite often, female elephants who are shot for their ivory tusks have calves.
- Rachael Murton
Having started out as a volunteer in 2008 helping to set up the Elephant Orphanage, Rachael now manages the entire Wildlife Rescue operation, working closely with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to respond to wildlife emergencies. Rachael has devoted her life to protecting elephants, working with her amazing team to rescue, rehabilitate and release orphaned elephants back into the wild, whilst raising essential support for the rangers in the field who protect them.
Photo by: James Suter
Photo by: James Suter
Photo by: James Suter
Rachael has never given up, even through the toughest of times. She moved to Zambia from England, unprepared for what life was going to bring her way. She powers through challenging times with inspiring positivity and passion, always looking at ways that GRI can improve and progress in order to safeguard the lives of Zambia’s elephants.
Rachael’s endless determination has given many fragile elephants a safer, happier future. Not only does she care for young elephants, but she also has two young daughters of her own. Her nurturing nature makes her a matriarch in her own right.
Watch our film to hear more of Rachael’s story.
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