On the morning of 31st May 2002, this orphaned baby elephant came voluntarily to the Nepeleon Cattle enclosure in the North of the Ranch, close the Narok River, some two weeks after the death of his mother. He trailed the cattle herder, desperate for companionship and company, emaciated and growing weaker by the day. Although at 6 months he could eat a little vegetation, he needed milk in order to survive, and perhaps it was the smell of milk that had attracted him to this place and that man. However, it was not the cattle that he followed, it was the herdsmen himself, and this in itself is strange, since he must know that humans had cost his mother her life.

At first the herdsman found this somewhat disconcerting, fearing that an irate elephant mother might suddenly appear at any moment to reclaim her baby. He did everything he could to deter the calf, but the calf persisted in trailing him. Eventually, in desperation, he reported the matter to his boss, Ken Wreford Smith, who immediately called us in Nairobi, and alerted us to expect another elephant orphan.

After a long five hour drive, in the back of a Pickup truck hurriedly improvised to contain him for the journey, with Quentin, a young Veterinarian, as company in the back, they arrived at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust at 7.30 pm. His protruding cheek bones were a tell tale sign of a baby in desperate need of nourishment, but he was a feisty little chap, and was able to shove the Keepers around in the stable on his first night. He settled in nicely with Thoma keeping a watchful eye over his every move.Mpala was eventually moved to the Voi Unit in Tsavo East with Seraa and Morani in June 2003, and now lives a wild life there.