Skip to content

Knitting nannas' mammoth effort to help elephants

Naj ModakNorth East and Cumbria
Wildlife SOS Three-year-old Bani, an Indian elephant walking through a grassy area with trees in the background. She has black boots on her hind feet.Wildlife SOS
Three-year-old Bani was rescued and rehabilitated by Wildlife SOS after she was knocked down by a train

Nannas in a residential care home have been knitting woolly elephants to help an international wildlife charity.

The women at Hazelgrove Court Care Home in Saltburn-by-the-Sea are selling the toys to raise funds for rescued Indian elephants more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km) away.

Wildlife SOS, which works to rescue, treat and protect wildlife across India, is the latest to benefit from the residents' knitting skills after the women made monkeys and blankets for rhinos in South Africa and jumpers for penguins in Australia.

Ellen Else, 95, said: "I am happy that I am still able to help with the knitted elephants we are doing, which will raise money to help these poor elephants."

The knitting group decided to hand make the woollen elephants after taking part in a live webinar with the charity in India, in which they heard the elephants had been exploited for begging.

Activities coordinator Sharon Lewis said: "When they saw some of the rescued elephants, it really hit home and they wanted to do to something to help."

The residents heard about Bani, a three-year-old elephant who was knocked down by a train.

Rescuers feared she would never walk again but, with specialist care and custom-made boots, Bani regained her mobility.

Hill Care Group Ellen Else has white hair and a grey cardigan with a peach blouse. She is sitting on a grey chair holding a knitted, stuffed toy elephant.Hill Care Group
Ellen Else said she was happy to help raise money for the elephants

Lewis said the project had given residents a real sense of purpose "knowing that something they have made with their own hands is helping animals on the other side of the world".

Having sold 20 stuffed toys at £2 each, she said the knitted elephants had been "flying out" and the residents were busy making more.

"We didn't name them as we don't want to get attached to them too much," she added.

Hill Care Group Joyce Baxtrem has white hair and a yellow jumper. She is sitting on a grey chair holding a knitted, stuffed toy elephant wearing a sailor's outfit.Hill Care Group
The residents are knitting more elephants after selling the first 20

Tina Parker, 75, said: "Elephants are my favourite animal and it is heartbreaking to think people will take them from the wild and make them beg, breaking their spirit."

Wildlife SOS's UK manager, Linda Whiteley, said: "The entire team and I are sincerely touched by the creativity, thoughtfulness and generosity of the residents of Hazelgrove Court Care Home.

"Knowing that they care so deeply about the once-captive elephants in our care highlights the global appreciation for these endangered keystone animals."

Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

More on this story
Related internet links