Nicolette Kluijver takes action for orphaned elephants: ‘Tears keep streaming’

We called the presenter.

Taking care of orphaned elephants

Nicolette’s life is currently completely dominated by the elephant, orphaned elephants to be precise. In Zimbabwe, she is helping with a special IFAW project, which she is committed to as an ambassador. “We take in orphaned elephants who have lost their mother through poaching or human-animal conflicts. We care for and rehabilitate the elephants until they can live in the wild again. There they are embraced by a new herd, a new family. Of course I knew what I was going to do on paper, but if you are here in contact with such large animals, that is not normal. The tears just keep streaming down my cheeks.”

Sensitive animals

Years ago, Nicolette lost her heart to the elephant. “It is such a sensitive, friendly and social animal,” she says. It is sometimes heartbreaking to see the orphaned elephants up close. “It is so traumatic for an elephant and her baby to lose each other. Those orphans are really crying because they miss their mother. Elephants also mourn, just like humans. If a calf gets stuck, for example because it falls into a man-made ditch, a herd sometimes waits for days before abandoning their young.”

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Protecting the elephant

Because of motherhood, Nicolette wants to devote herself even more to nature. “I want to be able to make a difference. It is five to twelve: if we don’t take action now, our children will only know the elephant from the zoo.” Protecting the elephant is extremely important, also for the ecosystem. “That way you protect a very large nature reserve and all the animals that live there.” If you leave orphaned elephants to their own devices, they don’t stand a chance. “Then they are doomed. Now they get the chance to go back into the bush with a new herd.”

Connected with nature

The home front also sympathizes with Nicolette’s adventure. “My children call every day. Then they ask, ‘Mommy, how’s saving the elephants going? We are so proud of you’. I have to go back home, where I also think it’s fantastic, but I’m afraid I can’t get out of here, haha. I feel very connected to nature and the people here.” She hopes that more people will devote themselves to this special animal. “Learn about the elephant and visit Zimbabwe, because tourism allows the protected nature parks to continue to exist. And if you can spare anything, donate to IFAW, because then the money really ends up in the right place.”

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