Mara Elephant Project’s mission is to protect elephants to conserve the greater Mara ecosystem and while we’re committed to protecting elephants, one key component to be successful with this mission is to also protect the people that live alongside the elephants.
The Mara’s space is diminishing with the growth in population and therefore farm and grazing area. This means that every year more people in the Mara are coming into contact with elephants and it’s not only costing elephant’s lives, but people’s as well. MEP’s mission is to protect both and we’ve proven to the local communities that time and time again when a person is injured because of wildlife MEP will be there as a first responder.
A MEP ranger with one of our First Responder Medical Kits donated by a generous MEP supporter.
MEP rangers are all equipped with medical training and a First Responder Medical Kit so they have all of the tools to administer first aid in the event of an injury. This was the case when on Sunday, November 5, MEP received a call that a 6-year-old girl was thrown onto sharp rocks by an elephant while out tending to her family’s cattle. There was a herd of five elephants in the area and unfortunately, they crossed paths with this little girl and her cattle.
When MEP received the call, the MEP rangers rushed to the girl’s location in Olkinyei and were first on the scene to administer first aid and move the herd of elephants away from the scene. They recognized that the girl’s injuries needed more serious medical attention and called in MEP C.E.O. Marc Goss. He deployed the Karen Blixen Camp Ree Park Safari helicopter to transport the child to Tenwek Mission Hospital, a hospital MEP had taken several other patients to in the past. Marc flew the little girl and her two guardians to Tenwek and left her in the care of the doctors.
We’re happy to report that the little girl, Sehema, is going to make a full recovery, but her medical cost of $350 is going to be difficult for her family to cover. If you’re interested in helping MEP cover Sehema’s medical care you can DONATE here.
MEP is proud of the work we do in the Mara to protect elephants, but the role that we play as first responders for the Mara people is an equally important part of the full picture of fulfilling our mission.
