Keepers' Diaries, July 2004

Nairobi Nursery Unit

The main happening of the month was the dramatic rescue of an l8 month old calf from the Pelican Swamp of Amboseli National Park, which took place on the 21st July. This calf was obviously an orphan and had three spear gashes in the left side of the body. He was identified by the Amboseli Researchers as the yet un-named calf of Joleen from the famous J Study Group of the Elephant Research Programme, and both this mother, and the Matriarch of the J family were missing, feared dead. The Researchers had heard that some young Masai youths had indulged in a spot of “target practice” on this unfortunate baby elephant, to prove their so-called courage which was in truth a shameful and cowardly admission of anything but.