We have witnessed time and again how injured — and, remarkably, entirely wild — elephants come to us in their hour of need. This is the latest chapter in a growing collection of remarkable encounters that remind us how intuitive and intelligent elephants are.
Our Kaluku Field Headquarters in Tsavo is a hive of activity — and each morning, the buzz begins with our Aerial Unit. The team rises early, even before the sun, as our aircraft depart at dawn for their patrols. On the morning of 26th June 2025, as they headed to the hangars, they were surprised to find an adult elephant in her mid-20s lingering nearby. Her front right leg was swollen, hindering her mobility and causing visible discomfort.
The elephant stationed herself right by the airstrip
Rather than retreating at the sight of humans, she deliberately stationed herself by the airstrip. She could not have chosen a more conspicuous location: The area is usually abuzz with taxiing aircraft and personnel — which is why wild animals typically give it a wide berth during daylight hours. We have seen this behaviour before in wild elephants and recognised it for what it was: a cry for help.
Treatment unfolded metres from where our aircraft would usually taxi and take off
We quickly mobilised an operation. Our fixed-wing pilot fetched the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit and delivered them to the scene. Dr Limo darted the patient, and she fell just a few metres from the airstrip.
Bombi the zebra and some other members of our orphan herd popped by to check out the treatment!
From there, treatment was straightforward. The team located the offending object — a shard of wood — embedded near her knee joint. While innocuous enough, she would never have been able to dislodge it on her own. The area had become quite infected and was causing significant pain. With the fragment extracted, Dr Limo and Dr Lawi are certain she will make a full and speedy recovery.
At first glance, the injury seemed innocuous, but it was clearly causing her a lot of pain
In another twist, the female was in the late stages of lactation. There are many elephants around Kaluku at the moment — while they largely remain hidden, we can hear them and know they are all around us. Now that she has gotten the help she needed, we are confident that our patient will reunite with her herd and older calf.
With treatment complete, we are confident she will reunite with her family
Elephants really are incredible. This mother recognised her predicament — and knew where to come for help. She couldn’t have made herself more visible, choosing to position herself in the most heavily trafficked part of our Kaluku Headquarters. Thanks to her good instincts and trust in us, we were able to give her the prompt attention she needed.