GAIL PORTER AND DAUGHTER HONEY RETURN FROM AFRICA IN HELPING SAVE THE LIVES OF OVER 4500 ANIMALS AND TWELVE ELEPHANTS

Gail Porter and daughter Honey have just returned from South Africa in helping to save over 4500 animals and a family of elephants for the Murry Foundation.

The Murry Foundation is aiming to secure the safety of over 4500 animals, including lions, tigers, rhinos and giraffe to name but a few. Adam Murry, Chairman of the The Murry Foundation and The Bill Jordan Foundation, has had to raise £1million in order to secure the land, making huge personal sacrifices including £700,000 of his money and putting up his house and businesses for finance.

Some of the most important animals that needed to be moved as soon as possible included a family of elephants. Known as the Thukela Twelve this family of elephants has already been saved once from the hand of poachers and had to face a battle to do the same again. The elephants are a small group of survivors and their offspring from the infamous Kruger Park elephant culls in the early 1990's.

Almost twenty years ago these elephants watched their parents and other relatives get shot from above. It was a miracle that these particular elephants escaped. And they’ve never forgotten. Gail reports,” Everytime a helicopter flies above them they instantly huddle together as they think that the sound of a helicopter can only mean one thing-death.

After these lucky elephants survived they were relocated to the Thukela Biosphere Reserve. But the dream of seeing elephants become a permanent feature of the Thukela landscape was shattered when the entire biosphere reserve was subjected to a successful land claim, which had been initiated in terms of the South African government’s land restitution policy. The successful claimants (Lindaukhuhle Trust) did not want the elephants on their newly returned land and every effort by the elephants’ owners to find a safe destination for the elephants met with failure. Early in 2006 a decision was reluctantly taken to cull the elephants this year rather than leave them to an uncertain fate. A group of professional hunters was called in to carry out this grizzly task. Hlakaniphile, one of the little elephants father was the first to be hunted, but at the eleventh hour, as the hunters were making final preparations to kill the family members, the Thukela elephants were granted a reprieve.

A coalition of animal and environmental protection organizations and individuals got wind of the elephants’ plight and negotiated a stay of execution while a safe haven was found. That safe haven is the land The Murry Foundation has secured where Gail and Honey have been helping to relocate the family, and expanding the wildlife sanctuary called SanWild run by Louise Joubert. Now a massive re-location operation is underway to save the Jumbo Twelve and Gail offering her support is just the beginning. Gail states “there was a highly competent game capture and relocation team monitoring the operation every step of the way in this complex, dangerous and highly emotional exercise. Operation Jumbo Journey was a high-octane adventure with military-like logistics and precision culminating in a heart-warming wild animal rescue story.

It was amazing to see the dedication these people give in saving these wild animals and giving their god given right to live”

The end of the story will see the Jumbo Twelve released into their new home at SanWild where their freedom will be guaranteed forever along with many thousands of other animals.

The crisis has attracted attention from all quarters, most notably the world of sport and celebrity. Influential figures Evander Holyfield, (four times world heavyweight champion) Steve Collins ( former world supermiddle & middle weight champion), Nigel Benn( former world supermiddle & middle weight champion) Jo Egan ( four times Irish champion ) and Scott Welsh (british and commonwealth champion and world champion contender) have joined forces with well known celebrities such as Louise & Jamie Redknapp to bring the crisis to public attention.

Gail and Honey will be reporting on their experiences on the Sharon Osbourne show tonight at 5pm on ITV