Keepers' Diaries, November 2004

Nairobi Nursery Unit

It has been an exceptionally busy, not to mention stressful, month, with the arrival of three new Nursery babies, one just 4 days old, one of 3 weeks and one of 3 months. Little Seyia, so named after a lucky reed that grows in the Mara marshlands, was flown into the Nursery on 7th November, and from day one we were embroiled in a desperate struggle to try and save him. His mother had no milk due to a severely infected abscess on her belly, which a Vet managed to clean and partially treat before she woke up from the immobilizing drug ahead of time. By the time little Seyia came into the Nursery at 4 days old, he was already very emaciated, and even an infusion of plasma taken from the blood of “Galana”, who was immobilized for this purpose on the 26th, could not pull him round. This blood plasma transfusion is always a last ditch attempt to save a Colostrum deprived calf with a deficient immune system, due to the very real risk involved in jeopardising the life of a healthy donor elephant for the sake of a very sick recipient, who may not make it in any case. However, there was no way we could stand by and just let him die, so we simply had to try. It was, however, a nerve-wracking event, because “Galana” took longer than normal to come round, and even the Vet was getting anxious! We, of course, were basket cases! Then it was the turn of little Seyia who likewise almost passed away whilst under the anaesthetic as the plasma was being transferred through a vein in the leg, the Vet being unable to raise one in the ear because by now he was so dehydrated!