The following is information on the Elephant Orphan named: LASAYEN  (foster now)

Latest Updates on LASAYEN:

• 3/30/2015 - Mwashoti - Overcoming a potentially life threatening injury

View to Location map for LASAYEN (opens a new window)

Most Recent Keeper's Diary Entry: (view all the latest entries for LASAYEN)

5/31/2017 - When the orphans first went out to the forest this morning, most of them were busy browsing but Lasayen and Pare were seen enjoying a pushing game which went on for some time before attracting the attention of Galla and Kauro. These two boys approached them but when Kauro raised his trunk up in the air Lasayen ran off yelling at the sight of his big tusks! This left Pare to play with Galla and Kauro but the game did not last long as Kauro started to try and climb on the other two and they are no match for him!

Again it was too cold to mud bath at the public visit today however Murit kept busy with a chasing game against Esampu and Mteto. He was running and trying to climb on them, a game which attracted the attention of Ngilai who then chased after Murit. Murit turned against him though and they started a tough pushing game but it came to an end when Murit accidentally pricked the inside of Ngilai’s ear with his tusk, prompting him to walk away and settle by the water trough instead as he has no tusks to compete with! He started a new game of drawing water with his trunk and spraying the visiting school children who were delighted with this unique and wonderful encounter.

The Two Latest Photos of LASAYEN: (view gallery of pictures for LASAYEN)

Lasayen having some milk photo taken on 12/19/2014	Sweet Lasayen photo taken on 12/19/2014

ORPHAN PROFILE FOR: LASAYEN (foster now)

Zoom / Enlarge On the 25th of September a tiny calf was retrieved from a well on the Namunyak conservancy in Samburu by the community rangers. He had obviously fallen down this community dug well meant specifically for livestock but so often frequented by the thirsty elephant herds under the cover of darkness in the dry season months. Little elephant calves at this time become increasingly vulnerable and slip in. Because of the human presence the elephant herds disappear at daybreak to avoid human wildlife conflict and in this case are faced with the simply heartbreaking decision of walking away from their forsaken calf. Fortunately for the baby the community alerted the security rangers of the area when they were confronted by this stranded baby elephant who were able to retrieve him from the well. The decision was made by the management of the area to keep the calf overnight and try to reintroduce him to a herd in an effort to reunite him with his family.       This did not work sadly and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was alerted the following day, 26th of September, by the Kenya Wildlife Service about his plight and a rescue was requested. A DSWT team of experienced Keepers flew into the Namunyak airstrip and retrieved the tiny baby. He was by this stage very dehydrated, as it had been a significant amount of time by now without milk. He was expertly restrained for the flight back to Nairobi and an IV drip put in place for the duration of the flight. On arrival at the Nursery the little baby was placed into a freshly prepared stable and given milk, which he took greedily. We called him Lasayen, a beautiful name from the area, a sacred mountain name for the Samburu.       Lasayen was teething when he came into the Nursery fold, which would suggest he was around about a month old when he so tragically lost his elephant family. This is a fraught time, and we loose so many babies during teething as their condition deteriorates and sometimes to the point of being irretrievable. Fragile calves so often succumb during this incredibly stressful time, a time that can span a few months, sometimes even three months. Lasayen definitely struggled which is quite normal, we have had over the span of many years seen few that don’t, but thankfully he then began to pick up when his teeth were finally all out, and his energy level improved, as did his body condition.       He is full of character and loved by all and of course the nurturing older orphans particularly. He has settled well and is genuinely happy and hooked on his many elephant friends and his beloved Keepers too.

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