On the afternoon of 15 October 2025, we received reports of a possible orphan in Lumo Conservancy. Our Voi team mobilised to the scene and found a very thin, weak elephant who had clearly been struggling for quite some time. There were no other elephants in the area. With nightfall approaching, the window to rescue her was quickly closing. Fortunately, she put up little resistance and was whisked to our nearby Voi stockades without incident.

We named the little orphan Alia, after a hill near the place of her rescue.

At Voi, Alia was stabled next to young Daba, who had been rescued just two weeks earlier. He rumbled to her — perhaps reassuring her that she was in safe hands — and the two orphans exchanged gentle trunk-touch greetings.

After giving Alia a few days to decompress, we moved her and Daba to the Nursery. Both babies were markedly younger than the rest of the Voi herd and would benefit from the hands-on care and supportive oversight the Nursery provides. Daba was flown up first, followed by Alia the next day. She was stabled next to Nyambeni and Taroha, two orphans who are known to be kind and welcoming to new arrivals.

Alia spent a couple of weeks regaining strength and adjusting to Nursery life. The spooked, painfully thin calf we rescued began to settle down and fill out. Eventually, she was strong enough to join the herd in the forest. We escorted her to a small clearing, where the older girls welcomed her with soft rumbles. Nyambeni and Mzinga were especially hospitable, trunk-touching her and encouraging her to come closer.

In the weeks that followed, Alia slowly emerged from her shell. While she initially kept her distance from the Keepers, she began to inch closer. One morning, Keeper Peter was pleasantly surprised to find her standing right beside him, trunk raised in greeting.

Alia has formed a squad of small and gentle friends. She is especially fond of Daba, who has shared this journey with her from the very beginning. Wamata and Taroha have also been particularly welcoming and often look after the two newbies.

We always suspected that Alia and Arthi would become close — they are in the same age group and have compatible personalities. However, these similarities may initially have caused Arthi to see Alia as a rival, and he did not warm to her at first. Little Daba became a mediator, befriending Arthi on his own before gradually bringing the two elephants together. Now, it is common to see the trio quietly browsing side by side.

Apart from Daba and the Keepers, Alia has a herd’s worth of nannies looking out for her. We were reminded of this one morning when Olomunyak fell under the naughty influence of Pardamat. The two boys were pestering Alia and trying to play-mount her. Before we could intervene, Nyambeni stepped in. She cornered Pardamat and drove him away from the herd, then gave Olomunyak his marching orders. Having dealt with the situation, Nyambeni turned her attention to Alia, trunk-touching her and shepherding her back to the group.

Orphans rescued at an older age are often like buds waiting to bloom — they take longer to adjust to their new lives, but once they do, their colourful personalities unfurl. That is beginning to happen with Alia. Our once-reserved, nervous girl is showing a new and more confident side.

One morning, Alia toddled up behind Olomunyak and play-mounted him — a deserved taste of his own medicine! The friendly bull twirled around, accepted her invitation with great enthusiasm, and the two orphans proceeded to play together for some time. It was a courageous new step for Alia, and we were very happy to see it. As the weeks and months pass, we expect even more facets of her personality to emerge.