The first day I first set foot in Botswana is one I never will forget. A ranger picked me up by the two-seater I had just landed in — the pilot was scurrying about looking for brush to cover the tires so hyenas wouldn’t eat the rubber. She would be spending night in camp, he said, in the meantime would I like to see some elephants? I hadn’t flown 17 hours not to, so before we went to camp we stopped by the grazing spot of the local herd where a 10-day old elephant named Star was entertaining fellow pachyderms and humans. Her real name is Naledi, which means Star in Setswana, what they speak in those parts. I met Kathy, the herd leaders, then Kitimetse, Star’s mom, who looked at me with kind, gentle eyes and had no problem with me rubbing her trunk. Then came that 10-day-old bundle of joy. What a rambunctious kid. She was curious about everything, not surprising since she had just joined the world. Shy, she wasn’t. She would play and run toward you, then turn and run back under momma, which was the safest place in Botswana.
I kept up with her and the herd via friends I met in camp and was saddened to hear Kitimetse passed away from health problems about four weeks later, leaving Star an orphan. None of the herd could nurse her as she needed so the dedicated people at Abu Camp worked around the clock to save the friendly little calf so she could be returned to the herd. Kitimeste, which means “I am lost,” was called Kiti, and had a rescue story of her own. She was abandoned by a wild herd in the Okavango after being attacked by a crocodile as a calf. She was taken to Abu Camp and saved then became a herd member. She gave birth to Lovato in 2008 and Star in 2013.
Fast forward and today (June 5) and tomorrow Star is a star — of her own documentary: “Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale” at the Seattle International Film Festival.
The film was produced by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions. You may have heard of him or some of his interests. He co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates and owns, among many other things, the Seattle Seahawks, a team near and dear to my heart since I covered them as a young start-up team during the 10 years I spent with The Associated Press in Seattle. Allen is the kind of rich guy you have to love. His total lifetime giving to community causes is nearing $1 billion. He has a passion you have to love.
Didn’t find out about my gal Star’s movie in time to get out to Seattle but I really want to see it. And if you get a chance, I suggest you might want to take it in as well. After my experience I doubled my efforts to help those trying to end poaching and the killing of animals for no reason other than bragging rights, groups like Elephants DC. I’m happy my state, New Jersey, led the way on banning ivory and trophy animal parts and that the United States is banning almost all ivory imports. There is a lot more work to do but we’re making progress.
And on my next trip to Africa, seeing Star again is at the top of my list.
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