Ithumbah

Now living wild, where she is a mother of one

About Ithumbah

  • Current age

    16 years old

  • Gender

    Female

  • Rescued date

    25 September 2010

  • Rescue location

    Tsavo Ecosystem, Tsavo East NP

  • Date of birth (estimate)

    9 September 2008

  • Reason orphaned

    Stuck in mud

  • Age at rescue

    2 years old (approx)

  • Current location

    Living Wild

Adopt Ithumbah for yourself, or as a gift

Ithumbah's rescue

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.

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.

Latest updates featuring Ithumbah

See all updates

Keepers Diaries

View diary updates from across all our orphan units as written by the Keepers

Read more

A Milestone Birth: Yebo, Ithumba’s First ‘Great-Grandbaby’

Saving one life paves the way for so many others. If one ever needed a reminder of this, one only need look to the story of Yatta.

Read more

Ithumbah's Latest Photos

Access the most recent photos featuring Ithumbah

View more

Ithumbah's Calves

Iman

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

What's included in your adoption?

By adopting, you play a vital role in the life of an orphaned elephant, rhino, or giraffe — helping us provide the round-the-clock, loving attention each one needs and deserves over many years, so they can ultimately reclaim their place in the wild.

Your adoption supports the 100+ orphans in our care at any given time, covering the cost of milk and food supplies, Keepers' salaries, veterinary treatment, and other essentials.

Personalised adoption certificate

Celebrate your adoption with a personalised certificate, ready for you or your lucky gift recipient to print and display!

Monthly updates

Each month, we send a detailed update about our Orphans’ Project direct to your email inbox, featuring photos, stories, and special highlights.

Exclusive content

From the latest Keepers’ Diaries to a downloadable image gallery and more, adopters have exclusive access to our content library.

Do you have any questions?

Please refer to our FAQs for more information on the Adoption Program. However, if there is any specific question that is not on the FAQs page, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to assist you.
FAQs

You can also adopt

Chapeyu

Gender

Male

Age

7 years

Unit

Voi

Reason orphaned

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Adopt Chapeyu

Tali

Gender

Male

Age

2 years

Unit

Nairobi Nursery

Reason orphaned

Found alone

Adopt Tali

Itinyi

Gender

Male

Age

6 years

Unit

Voi

Reason orphaned

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Adopt Itinyi

You can also adopt

Chapeyu

Gender

Male

Age

7 years

Unit

Voi

Reason orphaned

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Adopt Chapeyu

Tali

Gender

Male

Age

2 years

Unit

Nairobi Nursery

Reason orphaned

Found alone

Adopt Tali

Itinyi

Gender

Male

Age

6 years

Unit

Voi

Reason orphaned

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Adopt Itinyi