Ithumbah's Story

During the morning of the 25th September, Head Elephant Keeper Benjamin, based at the Ithumba Elephant Rehabilitation Unit in Northern Tsavo East National Park, happened to be taking rocks by tractor to the Ithumba dam where the Trust has recently sunk another borehole to alleviate the ongoing dry season water crisis, which always presents us with a huge headache. Having reached the dam, he noticed that an elephant calf was hopelessly bogged in the black cotton clay of the dam’s receding water level.

The calf had obviously become stuck in the black cotton mud during the night, since it had not been there when Benjamin deposited another load of rocks the previous day.

Ithumbah's Story

During the morning of the 25th September, Head Elephant Keeper Benjamin, based at the Ithumba Elephant Rehabilitation Unit in Northern Tsavo East National Park, happened to be taking rocks by tractor to the Ithumba dam where the Trust has recently sunk another borehole to alleviate the ongoing dry season water crisis which always presents us with a huge headache. Having reached the dam, he noticed that an elephant calf was hopelessly bogged in the black cotton clay of the dam’s receding water level. The calf had obviously become stuck in the black cotton mud during the night, since it had not been there when Benjamin deposited another load of rocks the previous day.

Having mobilised all available Keepers, the calf was pulled free of the mud, and with her legs bound, she followed the Keepers to the airstrip situated close by and into the shade of the open aircraft hanger. Once it was established that the decision had been made by Daphne and Angela for the calf to remain at Ithumba to be raised, in the hope that she may later be united with her mother and herd, she was lifted onto the tractor trailer and driven from the airstrip to the Ithumba Stockades, a short five kilometre journey only.

On arrival the Keeper Dependent Orphans’ Matriarch, Loijuk, lavished boundless love and attention on the newcomer who calmed down instantly, and soon the new orphan had settled down and even accepted milk and water from the Keepers all the while watched by an interested group of visiting wild elephant bulls who had turned up to drink at the Stockade water trough. Later on the Senior Independent Ex Orphans arrived to welcome the newcomer into the fold, all crowding around, rumbling and laying trunks lovingly across her back. A make shift stockade was hastily built so that the calf could tame down adequately before being able to join the other orphans. It was important that she became totally comfortable feeding from the keepers first, so that once she did join the Ithumba orphans, free from the confines of the stockades, she would have enough confidence to take her bottle from the Keepers during feed time along with the others.

The calf is a female, and the Keepers decided that she be named Ithumbah spelt differently to avoid confusion. Calmed and pampered by her new Elephant Family under the care of Benjamin and his team of proficient Keepers, little Ithumbah is a very lucky baby, found and rescued by our Keepers before predators made a meal of her.

Everything needed to cope with every eventuality surrounding a new orphan was flown to Ithumba in a Plane that afternoon with Nursery Keeper Abdi - along with the vital injectable antibiotic to forestall pneumonia in a mud victim.

Adopt Ithumbah for yourself or as a gift.

Adopt Ithumbah for yourself or as a gift.

Current Age

16 years old

Gender

Female

Rescued date

25 September 2010

Rescue Location

Tsavo Ecosystem, Tsavo East NP

Date of Birth (approximate)

9 September 2008

Reason Orphaned

Stuck in mud

Age at Rescue

2 years old (approx)

Current Location

Living Wild

Ithumbah's featured photos

Our digital adoption programme includes the following:

Personalised adoption certificate.

Monthly email update on your orphan and the project.

Monthly watercolour by Angela Sheldrick.

Access to special content; latest Keepers' Diaries, videos and photos

Give Ithumbah the gift of life by adopting today.

Ithumbah's Calves

Meet Ithumbah's wild born offspring.

Iman

Female

On Tuesday 12th July 2022, Deputy Head Keeper Emmanuel was walking back from the Ithumba orphans’ midday mud bath. Suddenly, wild-living orphan Ithumbah appeared out of the bush and strode over to him — and by her side was a newborn baby girl! Emmanuel had seen Ithumbah at the stockades just the night before, heavily pregnant but with no sign of an imminent arrival. Ithumbah must have given birth in the early hours of the morning. Now she seemed keen to introduce her firstborn calf to the human family that raised her. We have named the baby, Iman. Read more

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Yatta Gives Birth to Her Third Calf, Yogi

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Ithumbah's latest photos

Ithumbah

Ithumbah

Iman and Ithumbah at the mud bath

Ithumbah and Iman

Ithumbah digging for minerals with little Iman

Ithumbah and Iman

Ithumbah with Iman and Kamok browsing

Ithumbah with Iman