50th Anniversary

The ATE staff on September 1st. Harvey Croze kneeling, then left to right, front row: Jane Wanjiku Mwangi, Cynthia Moss, Joyce Poole, Tal Manor, Sylvi Nyambura, Vicki Fishlock; back row: Celestine MMboga, Katito Sayialel, Richard Tipape, Mwonga Kinyanzui. (Norah Njiraini took the photo.)

We were planning a big party for the 50^th anniversary, but with the ongoing severe drought we decided it was not appropriate. Instead, just the present ATE staff and two of the people with a long history with the project, Harvey Croze and Joyce Poole, gathered in the camp and raised a glass of champagne on the 1^st of September. 

It was with a good feeling and a sense of achievement that we looked back on the years with the elephants in Amboseli. Yes, there were difficult and very sad times, but there was much to celebrate. We talked about the elephants who have passed on, some of whom we miss to this day—Victoria, Virginia, Phoebe, Penelope, Big Tuskless, Wart Ear, Dionysus, Echo, Ella, Tim, Tolstoy, even Bad Bull and many more. All distinct individuals with unique personalities. It is our hope that in introducing these individual elephants to the world people will care about elephants and help us make sure they have a future. 

We still have much work to do and so much more to learn about elephants. We hope you will continue to come along with us on this long, fulfilling journey. 

Celebrating a 50-Year-Old Elephant for our 50^th Anniversary 

To honor our momentous anniversary, internationally-acclaimed bronze sculptor Bart Walter offered to sculpt an elephant which we could then sell to raise funds. Bart is known for his unique and dynamic approach to his wildlife subjects. He and his wife Lynn came to visit us in July to work on the piece.

We decided the best celebration would be a sculpture of a elephant born in the same year that the project started, 1972, and the obvious choice was the impressive and chilled-out Craig. We know the areas he uses and he is well known to his human neighbours, so he is also relatively easy to find. Bart works by spending time with the animal he is sculpting in the wild, sculpting in the field from life rather than using photos in the studio. To learn more about Bart's creative process visit his Website. 

This beautiful sculpture of magnificent Craig will be cast in a limited edition of 8 and Bart will donate 50% of the proceeds to ATE. The first 3 in the edition may be acquired for $10,000 each. The next 3 may be acquired for $11,000 each, and the last 2 in the edition for $12,000 each. To take advantage of this amazing opportunity to support our work, contact Bart's studio on CPeters@bartwalter.com or inquiries@bartwalter.com.

Bart Walter with Craig in July. Bart only works from life, not from photos, so he spent several days keenly observing this patient, calm and wonderful elephant. 

The History of the WB Family

The WB family was one of the last to be identified in Amboseli. They were recorded twice in 1977, but it wasn’t until late 1978 that we started to see them again. Even so they were not seen often over the next few years. It appeared that they spent most of their time across the border in Tanzania. 

Starting in 1983, we began to record them in the Park more often. We were able to photograph them and determine who was in the family, but it wasn’t easy to see who might be the offspring of whom. The matriarch was a big female I named Wangoi, a Kikuyu girls name. I decided to make the theme for the family Kikuyu names because many begin with a ‘W’. Wangoi was estimated to have been born in 1947 so in 1983 she was 36 years old. 

To read the full history of the WB family Click Here. 

Wangoi's ID photo taken in 1995

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