Barsilinga's Story

Gunshots were heard during the evening of 13th April 2012 by the community of the Lpus-La-Mpasion area near Wamba in the Samburu tribal area of Northern Kenya. The next morning a severely wounded female Elephant, with a calf at foot, was spotted in the area. Bullet wounds in the chest area and front legs had rendered her barely able to even move, yet another victim of the ivory trade and a grizzly reminder of the suffering attached to each piece of ivory that is bought or sold. The mother's end was a painful one, full of suffering, and her calf would have been a victim too had he not been one of the lucky few rescued.

The matter was reported to a KWS patrol within the area. They summoned the KWS Vet, Dr. Mutinda, who travelled to the scene to assess the injured mother. It turned out that the female elephant’s wounds were too severe for any hope of recovery. Having reported the matter to the Nairobi KWS Headquarters, it was decided that the mother be euthanized and her calf saved and sent to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Nursery in Nairobi National Park. The calf had its last feed of mother’s milk at 9am before the mother was later laid to rest.

Barsilinga's Story

Gunshots were heard during the evening of 13th April 2012 by the community of the Lpus-La-Mpasion area near Wamba in the Samburu tribal area of Northern Kenya. The next morning a severely wounded female Elephant, with a calf at foot, was spotted in the area. Bullet wounds in the chest area and front legs had rendered her barely able to even move, yet another victim of the ivory trade and a grizzly reminder of the suffering attached to each piece of ivory that is bought or sold. The mother's end was a painful one, full of suffering, and her calf would have been a victim too had he not been one of the lucky few rescued.

The matter was reported to a KWS patrol within the area. They summoned the KWS Vet, Dr. Mutinda, who travelled to the scene to assess the injured mother. It turned out that the female elephant’s wounds were too severe for any hope of recovery. Having reported the matter to the Nairobi KWS Headquarters, it was decided that the mother be euthanized and her calf saved and sent to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Nursery in Nairobi National Park. The calf had its last feed of mother’s milk at 9 a.m. before the mother was later laid to rest.

By 1.30 p.m. the DSWT Rescue Team landed at the nearby Kisima Airstrip and waited for the arrival of the KWS ground team with the young baby. KWS had a good distance to travel to bring the rescued calf to the closest airstrip and arrived about 30 minutes later with him loaded in the back of a landcruiser pickup, closely held by the rangers. After our keepers checked on his condition he was loaded into the aircraft in order to be airlifted back to the Nursery, arriving in the afternoon.

The baby was in good condition, approximately two weeks old, a tiny bull still pink behind the ears. He was given the name “Barsilinga” after the area close to where his mother met her grizzly end just weeks after giving life to this precious baby.

Adopt Barsilinga for yourself or as a gift.

Adopt Barsilinga for yourself or as a gift.

Current Age

12 years old

Gender

Male

Rescued date

14 April 2012

Rescue Location

Samburu, Wamba area

Date of Birth (approximate)

28 March 2012

Reason Orphaned

Poaching

Age at Rescue

2 weeks old (approx)

Current Location

Living Wild

Barsilinga's featured photos

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Personalised adoption certificate.

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Monthly watercolour by Angela Sheldrick.

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Barsilinga's latest photos

Barsilinga

Larro Barsilinga and Mukkoka

Barsilinga

Barsilinga

Garzi and Barsilinga sparring in the water

Barsilinga drinking rain water

Kithaka, Barsilinga and Olsekki

Olsekki with Barsilinga