That she had been found at all was a miracle: The calf very easily could have gone undetected until morning — at which point it probably would have been too late. Given her desperate circumstances, her herd had abandoned her and no elephants were anywhere to be seen.

After coordinating with the Kenya Wildlife Service, our Voi team gathered their rescue equipment and rushed off on a rescue mission. The tank was so dark and so deep that we struggled to make out the little elephant inside. Her small body was completely submerged, and she was flailing to keep her head above water. The rescue team managed to loop ropes around her and hauled her to firm ground, where they cleaned her off.

Veterinarian Dr Limo assessed the calf’s condition. Miraculously, she appeared to be physically unharmed, although the traumatic ordeal had clearly left psychological scars. She needed to be fed, warmed up, and shown that she was safe and no longer alone.

Given the late hour and the complete lack of elephants in the area, KWS deemed a rescue necessary. The little elephant was driven to our nearby Voi stockades, where she was placed in a stockade surrounded by our orphans and given a bottle of milk. Sileita and Busara helped to calm her down by rumbling and touching her with their trunks.

We named her Zuri — a lovely Swahili word meaning ‘good’.

The following morning, the team drove Zuri to the airstrip, from where she was flown to the Nairobi Nursery. She was ushered into her stable and immediately tucked into the bounty of greens and sugar cane that lined the walls. In the afternoon, we brought Kipekee in from the forest to help her settle. We wondered how Kipekee would handle this responsibility — our spoiled girl is not exactly known for her generosity — but she was wonderful. She stood in the adjoining stable, rumbling and stretching her trunk to greet the newcomer. The interaction went so well that we decided to move Kipekee next door, so the Nursery’s two youngest babies could be neighbours.

Just three days after her rescue, Zuri joined her new herd out in the forest. She was ready to join them — but ready or not, we would have had a mutiny on our hands if we had waited any longer! That morning, Mzinga, Nyambeni, and Muridjo kept sneaking back to the stockades to check on the new girl. Frogmarched back into the forest, they ran over to Kipekee and Daba and touched and smelled them, just in case either was Zuri. Their disappointment confirmed, the nannies trumpeted and ran back towards the stockades again.

By afternoon, we decided it was time to give in to the big girls’ demands. We brought Mzinga, Nyambeni, Kipekee, Wamata, Daba, Muridjo, and Arthi back to the stockades to escort her out to the forest. Nyambeni and Mzinga started squabbling over who should bring Zuri out of her stable, their ample bodies blocking the door.

After steering them out of the way, our little girl finally made her big debut. There was so much excitement! Everyone was trumpeting and rumbling, trying to touch and smell Zuri, who could hardly walk for being surrounded by elephants. Slowly, the herd — now with one very special addition — made its way into the forest.

Predictably, the arrival of Zuri has left Kipekee with very mixed emotions. She is no longer the youngest and most adored baby of the herd — and she is not entirely happy with the situation! Part of her might understand that Zuri is being pampered to help her heal from the trauma that left her orphaned. A bigger part of her is upset that the nannies’ attentions are now divided. Whenever Kipekee sees Muridjo, Mzinga, Nyambeni, or Talek lavishing too much attention on Zuri, she trundles over and tries her hardest to oust the newbie from their adoring orbit.

Perhaps against her better judgement, Kipekee actually does like Zuri. When her jealousy doesn’t get the better of her, the little girls have a wonderful time browsing, relaxing, and playing together. Muridjo and Mzinga have claimed primary custody of Zuri, but little Wamata helps out whenever she gets the opportunity.

Physically, Zuri is doing very well — but emotionally, she still has some healing ahead of her. Well victims are so often traumatised, and Zuri’s time inside the septic tank clearly still haunts her. She can be shy around new faces.

Where she is happiest is ensconced among her new elephant family. As the weeks and months pass, Zuri’s trauma will fade and her personality will continue to emerge. But for now, we are so grateful that this lovely little girl was rescued in time — and that she now has her whole life ahead of her, supported and surrounded by love.