Welcoming new life at Gwango

Oct 17, 2024

What started as a regular day at Gwango Heritage Resort quickly turned into something we’ll be talking about for years! Nicolas, one of our front office team, was giving a camp orientation to new guests - just the usual stroll around the raised pool - when things took a sudden, wild turn. Down by the watering pan, all hell (or should we say, all elephants?) broke loose. Naturally, the guests and Nicolas (probably sprinting at this point) rushed to check out the action. The young elephant cows were rumbling and trumpeting, but this wasn’t their usual ‘let’s-spook-the-tourists’ mischief. Something huge was happening.

The herd’s behavior gave it away - one cow was about to give birth, right there, practically next door to camp! If you know anything about elephants, you’ll know they don’t do things halfway. The entire herd circled around the expectant mom like they were pulling off the most coordinated team huddle you’ve ever seen.

Soon enough, the little one made its grand entrance into the world. The herd jumped straight into action, dusting off the newborn with sand, keeping predators from getting any ideas. And just as we thought things couldn’t get more magical, they let out trumpets of joy that echoed across Hwange. Honestly, we couldn’t help but jump in and join the celebration ourselves - and let me tell you, we fought really hard to resist the urge to scoop up the little fella and put it up in the sky like Simba in The Lion King.

For hours, the herd stuck around, making sure the newborn (who, let's be honest, wasn’t all that little - just little compared to its humongous-looking clan) got those wobbly legs working. You could feel the determination as the baby lumbered over to its siblings, already giving this walking thing a try. By the time they moved on, our new friend had gone from shaky steps to walking like an old pro.

If you’ve ever wanted to witness the true magic of nature, Gwango’s the place. You might just get front-row seats to an elephant family welcoming their newest member, complete with trumpets, wobbly legs and a heartwarming scene you won’t soon forget.

Because at Gwango, life is anything but ordinary.