Enthralled by wildlife at a young age, Autumn Harff’s passions eventually led her on a trip with Wilderness Inquiry. Through church connections, hard work, and generosity, Autumn would embark to Tanzania on the trip of a lifetime. Little did she know she would one day be able to see the firsthand the impact of her kindness. Here’s her story:
Elephant Footprints on My Soul
In the fall of 2015 my congregation hosted a presentation on elephants given by Donatus Gadiye, the man in charge of elephant conservation at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and Wilderness Inquiry trip guide. Being the animal lover that I am, my parents agreed to take me.
Throughout the presentation he shared his concerns about the future of elephants. He told us that due to illegal poaching for their ivory, this beautiful species would be extinct within 10 years if things didn’t change. He explained the urgent need for elephant collars and the financial roadblock NCA hit when trying to purchase them. The collars allowed them to track the matriarchs, and therefore her herd, protecting them.
His presentation struck a chord with me. After the presentation I stayed and spoke to Donatus, eventually exchanging contact information. He told me he had been working on starting a mentorship program that would allow NCA to bring students to Tanzania to work on elephant research.
Coming of Age
The following spring for my Coming of Age project (similar to confirmation), I asked my congregation to donate money to “Save the Tuskers of Ngorongoro, Inc.” for Donatus to buy an elephant collar. With the help of friends and family my project raised $400 – the amount needed for one GPS collar. We decided to hold onto the money in the hopes of one day being able to donate it in person.
Reunited Again
In January of 2019 we learned that Donatus would be back in Minnesota giving a presentation at Wilderness Inquiry for their Tanzania trip! We drove up from Rochester to meet him and were finally able to deliver the donation. We also stayed for his presentation and now more than ever wanted to see the elephants in person.
Four months later I graduated from high school and had taken every possible course that could point me toward my chosen career path in Animal Conservation – Veterinary Studies I & II, Animal Science, and a mentorship at our local Nature Center. I enrolled at a local community college to start my two year Environmental Science degree in preparation for a Zoology degree from a four year college.
Following graduation, my Mom and Dad surprised me with the best gift — a trip to see the elephants on a safari in Tanzania with Wilderness Inquiry! We emailed Donatus to tell him we were on our way.
Trip of a Lifetime
After nearly 24 hours of travel, we are finally landed in Tanzania. Our twelve day trip was jam packed with safaris, luxury accommodations, and incredible food. We were there during the dry season and there were so many animals to see! Something I realized is that zoos don’t really help you understand how these animals coexist. For the most part they wander freely, leaving each other alone until the hunters need to eat.
Sleeping in a luxury tent camp in the Serengeti National Park was a highlight. I’m no stranger to sleeping in tents (I am a Girl Scout after all) but this was not a regular camping tent. It had a wood floor, elegant furniture, solar powered lighting, and a running water! Despite the opulence, there is only a thin wall of canvas between you and the lions that can be heard verbally marking their territory with a series of roars, or the hundreds of wildebeest who grunted in rutt as they passed through our camp. The next night my mom was awakened by the sound of hyenas laughing as they passed between our tents. We learned at breakfast that they had stolen food from the kitchen tent that night. It became clear that Africa was about survival…for everyone and everything, all the time.
An Incredible Surprise
Towards the end of our trip we headed back toward Ngorongoro Crater from Serengeti. After some serious un-planned off-roading, we caught up with Donatus’s stopped ranger vehicle.
I noticed we’d come upon a herd of elephants – there was a huge matriarch with a baby and many others grazing in tall marsh grasses. We’d seen elephants before on this trip, but this was the largest herd we’d seen all together.
Our driver said, “These are Autumn’s elephants. That is Marsh – Donatus wanted Autumn to meet the elephant she helped buy a collar for.”
I was in shock and so happy at the same time. Marsh was wearing the GPS collar I helped purchase making it easy for Donatus to lead us to her. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the little baby which we found out was about two months old. My heart nearly exploded from joy.
We took pictures and watched Marsh’s herd for about 10 minutes. Suzanne, the Wilderness Inquiry staff, was in our vehicle and didn’t know what Donatus was up to taking us so far into the bush. She was pleased with the outcome for the whole group.
My mom and dad had tears in their eyes because they knew what this meant to me. Suzanne turned to my mom and said, “I think you might lose your daughter to Africa.” My mom smiled and said, “I think I might.”
Seeing the Benefits
So many people donate to causes and never get to witness the benefits of their kindness. I was able to see firsthand how Donatus used the GPS collars to track the movements of the herd. Because of this he’s able to intercede when they wander near villages to protect both the animals and the people. He’s able to check on their health and wellbeing, and insure them protection from poaching. All of the cumulative efforts help ensure the survival of the species for generations to come.
All I know for sure is that I can’t imagine a world without elephants in it, and I want to help Donatus make sure we never see that world. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to travel and see them in the wild on this trip.
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Eileen Harff says
Autumn, what a beautiful narrative! You are blessed.
Love Grandma and Grandpa Harff.