Grief and Healing – Murera’s story - Part 2
You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have. – Bob Marley
Orphan elephant friends at the DSWT nursery in Nairobi
When Murera and Sonje arrived at Umani Springs it took three more elephants from the Nairobi nursery, Lima Lima, Quanza and Zongoloni, to help them settle into their new digs. Murera stepped up and assumed the role of the matriarch. After a day browsing out in the forest, she would lead from the end of the line in her slow measured pace while Lima Lima assisted at the front of the line and guided the group home.
Enter Luggart the Lionheart, the second hero in this story who graduated to Umani Springs in May 2020. Luggart was maimed by cruel humans who had riddled his back end with bullets. Everyone who knew Luggart adored him, but Murera’s love knew no bounds. Perhaps she saw herself in this little calf with the twisted leg. Perhaps she understood his trauma and struggles as only another survivor could. Murera’s compassion, empathy and love had always been a dominant aspect of her character. She adopted Luggart as her own.
Murera and Luggart with Amos – Photo credit DSWT
I never met Luggart, but the stories I read about him made it clear that his courage and will to live in the face of extraordinary challenges touched all who knew him, both the four legged and two legged. It was impossible not to love this little elephant. No one was prepared for his sudden decline and death in May of 2021.
Murera and Laggard out in Umani Forest - Photo credit DSWT
Our hope was that, as Luggard grew, his body would continue to heal. Far from improving, it seemed to deteriorate. It was subtle, at first: His right rear leg would swell up periodically, hindering his mobility. In the past, he recovered from these flare-ups quickly, but they began to happen with increasing regularity. Emotional decline is often the most telling indicator of an elephant’s inner turmoil, yet Luggard was unfalteringly happy to the very end. His blissful little rumbles, brought upon by something as simple as a trunk hug or an ear rub, communicated that loud and clear. DSWT Newsletter
Murera and Laggart Photo credit DSWT.
Murera was devastated by the loss of her beloved Luggart. Although she usually returned to the safety of the stockades with the other elephants at night, after Luggart’s death she disappeared for 4 days. Elephants grieve. The keepers assumed she wanted to mourn in private away from home. She returned to the herd after her solo journey and seemed to carry on “with her signature fortitude." She never spent another night away from the stockades.
After a few months, the keepers noticed Murera was getting rounder and moodier. Apparently her four-day safari had a purpose. Murera was pregnant! Although she never had a mother or family to teach her, she’d gone into the wild to find a mate and conceive her own baby.
The keepers noticed Murera’s growing belly. Photo credit DSWT
…. all we could do was wait, wonder, and try not to worry. All the Keepers rallied around Murera, treating her like a queen even more than they already did. (They all insist they don’t have a favourite, but one can’t help but notice how they dote upon Murera, or how their eyes light up when they talk about her!) The other orphans seemed to recognise that their matriarch was embarking on a new journey and duly supported her. As she became more easily exhausted, they regulated their pace and curtailed their walks. Mwashoti, Murera’s original favourite who is now living wild, took to joining the orphans each morning at dawn, so he might spend the day by his matriarch’s side. DSWT newsletter
Follow Part 3 of Murera’s story next week