Imagine trading your life as a high-flying corporate executive to start a new, unpaid job with elephants in Zimbabwe.

That’s exactly what author and photographer Sharon Pincott did in 2001.

Remaining in the Hwange bush for 13 years, Miss Pincott from Queensland has dedicated her life to fighting for elephants, forming an enormous, life-changing relationship with them, described as one of the most remarkable relationships with wild elephants ever recorded.

Life swap: Sharon Pincott (pictured) is a writer and photographer from Queensland who spent 13 years living in the Hwange bush

Former life: She traded her life as a high-flying corporate exec (pictured) to live with elephants

Remarkable relationship: Ms Pincott formed an immense, life-changing bond with the elephants (pictured), that has been described as one of the most remarkable relationships with wild elephants ever documented

While you might think Ms Pincott was fearless, and some might imagine that her time in Zimbabwe was a crazy thing to do during one of the worst periods in the country’s upheaval history, but she says she’s not a natural risk-taker:

“I’m not a person who likes to bungee jump or anything like that,” she explained.

She said: “The death of a close friend at the age of 38 made me think that life is too short, sounds like a cliché.

‘Seeing my first elephant was something I will never forget, and so when the opportunity came and helped them, I took it.’

Arriving at the Hwange bush with no training, Ms Pincott spent her early days establishing a base of friends, getting to know elephants and their various families, and getting used to her new life: “When I first got there, I will confess that I felt surrounded by these wonderful big grey things, but when I got to know them, they became my friends.”

Most days followed a standard pattern.

She would wake up early, do the laundry and cleans up before heading out in her 10 o’clock 4×4 in search of the elephants (Ms Pincott explains that elephants keep to themselves during the early hours, but they also stay together for life).

Daily duties: Ms Pincott’s day followed a regular pattern – she would wake up early, do her washing and her cleaning, before going out in her 4×4 at around 10 to search for the elephants (pictured)

Ties that bind: Arriving in the Hwange bush totally untrained, Ms Pincott slowly established a friend base, as well as getting to know the elephants and their various families

She would then learn about each elephant family by photographing their identifying features, such as their ears and tusks.

Once she had identified them as part of different families, she named each family:

She explains: ‘The family M’, for example, each has a name that starts with M. This means I can easily keep track of each elephant, and over time I don’t even need to look at them to know who they were.

‘In such a way that we can identify friends by how they walk, so I can also know who each elephant is from a distance.’

Documented diary: Ms Pincott would find out what she could about each elephant’s family by taking photographs of identifiers such as their ears and their tusks

Happy family: Once she had identified them as being part of different families, she gave each family a name, alongside first names beginning with that letter – the M family all had M names, for example

After a few years, Ms Pincott was accepted by the elephant, a moment she has not forgotten ever since:

“They would come to my door and nag as they did with other family members,” she said.

“It took three or four years for them to start, but it was amazing how the females would bring their three-day-old babies to my door.”

One elephant with whom Sharon Pincott has formed an extraordinary relationship with an elephant named Lady, the one she has spent a great deal of time throughout the years:

Ms Pincott explained: “I have a special place in my heart for Lady.”

‘She taught me a lot about her kind. She was the first elephant I touched, and while I didn’t go to Zimbabwe saying I was going to touch a wild, free-roaming elephant, I touched her trunk and would rub it by its end after a few years.

‘Having a five-ton elephant for you to do that, and accept me, is one of my highlights.’

Great friend: One elephant who Ms Pincott formed an extra special bond with was called Lady (pictured) – she was one of the first elephants who let Ms Pincott touch her trunk

Level of trust: By the end of her time in the Hwange bush, however, the elephants would come to her door and grumble as they would with family members However, that doesn’t mean Ms Pincott’s time in Zimbabwe was without danger and terrible times.

Ms Pincott explained: “There were constant threats and harassment.

‘Everybody, whether they were government officials or relatives of government officials, were out to cause trouble for me and the elephants – for their land and their lives.

‘The most heartbreaking moments were when elephants from a particular family went missing, and they were gone for over a week. Then you know that they passed away for good. ‘

Meagre means: This was Ms Pincott’s home for more than a decade – it has just one room

Good times and bad: While Ms Pincott had many good times, she also faced constant adversity – for people fighting against the elephants’ well-being and their land And at the end of thirteen years there, Miss Pincott knew she had to leave Zimbabwe.

Describing the experience as being in a ‘violent marriage’, she said the decision was devastating but necessary:

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the elephants,” she recalls.

‘There were times, especially when I was writing the book, where I couldn’t look at the pictures, it was impossible to go back.

‘I’d like to go back to a time when the political landscape has changed, but I feel like I can’t at the moment. One thing is for sure, I know I won’t go back to a 9-5. ‘

Memories forever: Ms Pincott says that there is not a day that goes by where she doesn’t think about the elephants – sometimes she finds it hard to look at photos remembering

One day: While she says she’d love to go back one day, Ms Pincott feels as though she cannot currently

According to Sharon Pincott, there are now 400,000 elephants in the world, which sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t make any sense when you hear that one is ki.ll.ed every 15 minutes:

“About 30,000 elephants di.e every year,” she said.

‘We all need to do what we can to prevent this from happening.’

Ms Pincott advocates refraining from buying ivory, anything with elephant tail hair or elephant tusk:

‘If there’s no demand, there’s no need to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 them,’ she said.

Dying breed: According to Sharon Pincott, there are currently 400,000 elephants in the world, which might sound like a lot, but means nothing when you hear that one is 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed every 15 minutes

By: dailybbnews.com

Post Views: 523