Mwana's Miracle Movie
This poster is available for sale in my online store
I have a special video this week for those who followed the extraordinary tale of Murera and her miracle baby Mwana. Little Mwana is now three months old. On June 4th the DSWT posted this video on Instagram. Be prepared to fall in love!
In honour of our founder Dame Daphne’s birthday, we are delighted to share this special film about Mwana, our Umani miracle baby. Today would have been Daphne’s 89th birthday. Although she is no longer with us, her legacy lives on through elephants like Mwana.
Their time on earth never overlapped, but Mwana has a deeply personal connection to Daphne. It was through Daphne’s perseverance that Mwana’s mother, Murera, was saved.
Murera stands out as one of our most heartbreaking orphan rescues. She came to us a broken elephant, maimed by poachers and all but paralysed in her rear legs. Many came to the painful, but understandable, conclusion that the kindest course of action would be to euthanize her. However, Daphne saw a glimmer of hope in Murera. Looking upon the calf who many saw as a lost cause, she remarked, “This elephant has a lifespan of upwards of 60 years. Even if healing Murera takes a two-year struggle, it is important we try, as she so wants to live”.
Daphne’s determination galvanized all of us to save Murera. Week by week, year by year, the broken elephant blossomed into a beautiful matriarch. It was for her that we founded our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit, located in a lush forested environment where disabled elephants could thrive.
When we rescued Murera 11 years ago, it was hard to imagine a future for her. She beat the odds simply by surviving; in our wildest dreams, we never could have hoped that she would become a matriarch and, as of this March, a mother. Baby Mwana is a living, breathing testament to all the work that Daphne began — and a reminder of the impact that a single person can have. Through her vision, generations of elephants have found a future. We are proud to continue Daphne’s legacy.
Angela Sheldrick, Daphne’s daughter, wrote a piece about Murera and Mwana, which you can read here:
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/fieldnotes/april-2023
