The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a small charity that honours the work that David Sheldrick started in the Tsavo Wildlife Refuge in Kenya. The Trust pioneered the raising of orphan elephants and rhinoceros and their release back in to the wild.
Team “Tusk and Horn” decided to enter the Karioi Classic this year to raise money for the Wildlife Trust.
Led by Sarah Jones, who has been a penpal of the late David Sheldricks wife Daphne, the team had around 7 weeks to prepare for the 46km mountain bike race around Mount Karioi at Raglan on the West Coast. Sarah has also spent time with Daphne and her daughter Angela at the Trust nursery in Kenya as well as at their homes.
Tsavo National Park is Kenya’s largest wildlife refuge, harboring the country’s single largest population of elephants and a greater biodiversity of species than any other Park in the world, since, by fortunate accident, there the Northern and Southern races of many species merge. In a country where an expanding human population is making increasing demands on the land, there is no better form of land use for this region than under wildlife. Tourism is a main source of foreign exchange for the country so Tsavo under wildlife is an extremely valuable National resource.
The Park’s very size is its strength, for it is self sustainable and ecologically viable without intrusive human interference of its wild populations, other than to monitor, learn, take heed and better understand Nature’s ways. Besides harbouring most of Kenya’s elephants, and providing the space they need for a quality of life in elephant terms, Tsavo is also home to the last of the great herds of buffalo in Kenya, the rare Hirola, or Hunters hartebeest, the largest population of lions left in Africa and a broad spectrum of other predators in healthy numbers, including the now extremely rare African hunting dogs, striped and spotted hyaenas (under pressure in small sanctuaries) with reported sightings by experienced Naturalists of Brown Hyaenas as well, previously not recorded in this part of the world.
Sarah summed up the day:
Team ‘TUSK AND HORN’, you guys are a fantastic and dedicated bunch of great people. You should be very proud of yourselves….because I certainly am.
Anything could and did happen yesterday, from drink bottles being scattered left right and centre at Ruapuke South down hill teeth clattering corner, chains grinding and snapping, to team members loosing it in the gravel and donating skin to the race course, then picking themselves up and getting back on their seats. True troopers.
The wind gusts where mentioned to have reached 50km at times. This was a true advantage when it was behind us (ask our elephant team rider) but when it sent you sideways or seemed to hold you still and at times almost backwards, there was a tough battle on our hands. And that’s what each and all of us did.
We battled it out on the roads that wrap around our beautiful Sleeping Lady, Mt Karioi. She conjured a whole mix of emotions within us all yesterday and to rise above it all and complete the challenge is a self satisfying achievement we can all celebrate.
Sunday was another early start.
We needed to be at the Raglan Fire Station at 9am and we also needed to make sure that Ken had all the things he needed.
We packed picnic bags and chairs as well as sleeping bags and blankets for warmth. I layered up with as many beanies and gloves and jackets as I could find.
Gareth – another one of the Tusk and Horn team organisers – wore an elephant suit for the entire race.
While Ken was riding around the mountain, the kids and I tried sitting outside …. we froze.
So we jumped in the car and headed to Raglan for hot chocolates and a bit of an explore of some of the ecletic shops and bookstores.
Ken let us know when he was due to enter the air field so we were there before we crossed the finish line and the kids ran along with him.
The Tusk and Horn team are still collecting donations and sponsorships for both elephants and rhinos until the 5th of August.
If you are interested in either, I’d love it if you left me a comment or emailed Sarah at tuskandhorn@gmail.com
