Maralal's Story

The KWS team from Baawa Platoon stationed near the Kirisia Hills at Malalal received a report from the local community on Easter Sunday 8th April 2012 that a baby elephant had been left by its mother having fallen into a cattle well near the Kirisia forest above Maralal town. The Elephant Mother and the herd had gone to drink at this Cattle Well, and had obviously struggled hard to rescue the stricken calf but more than likely left hurriedly, panicking when herders brought their cattle to drink at the well. The Rescue, coordinated by Rauni Munene, Warden of Maralal Station, was led by Sgt. Lekishe and Larimado three Rangers who managed to extract the calf from the well. They then surrounded the baby and slowly walked the calf back to their camp with any evidence of her herd and elephants in the area long gone. By this stage it was becoming late in the day and it was clear there would not be the time for an aircraft to leave Nairobi and reach there before nightfall, so her KWS rescuers resigned themselves to the fact that they would be in for an extremely restless night.