Has fully embraced her wild life in Tsavo East National Park
Current age
32 years old
Gender
Female
Rescued date
15 June 1993
Rescue location
Tsavo Ecosystem, Tsavo East NP
Date of birth (estimate)
16 October 1992
Reason orphaned
Poaching
Age at rescue
7 months old (approx)
Current location
Living Wild
She was very dehydrated and weak, obviously having been without mother’s milk for many weeks. The older orphans were taken to her, and they immediately surrounded her affectionately, and walked her back to the Night Stockades as part of their group. She took to the bottle instantly, having taken her cue from the others, and was instantly fussed over and mothered by Malaika, who ‘adopted' her.
When Mpenzi became part of Catherine’s wild herd, and Chuma went off with Taru, as young bulls will, Lissa felt somewhat dumped and returned to the Orphans group along with Mpenzi briefly, accompanying the still dependent orphans into the Stockades in the evenings to partake of the cut greens and Copra supplement handed out during dry seasons. Since then, however, Lissa has become independent of our orphaned group, and is sometimes seen with Catherine’s group, and at other times returns to spend time with the orphans, usually accompanied by Mpenzi and her two wild-born calves, the first of which arrived in January 1999 and the next in January 2004.
Mpenzi has taken on the role of Nannie to Lissa’s two babies, and is extremely protective of them and even aggressive should humans venture too close for comfort. The birth of Lissa’s second calf which took place near the Orphans’ Stockades, was witnessed by our Keepers from the vantage point of a large rock. During the birth, Mpenzi was in close attendance, along with some 50 very excited wild elephants. Lissa’s first calf is named “Lara” and the second, also a female, has been named “Lali”.
She was very dehydrated and weak, obviously having been without mother’s milk for many weeks. The older orphans were taken to her, and they immediately surrounded her affectionately, and walked her back to the Night Stockades as part of their group. She took to the bottle instantly, having taken her cue from the others, and was instantly fussed over and mothered by Malaika, who ‘adopted' her.
View diary updates from across all our orphan units as written by the Keepers
Ex Orphan Mpenzi (whose name means Sweetheart in Swahili) was orphaned just under one year old, and came into our care in May 1993 and given directly into the custody of the then Voi Orphans Matriarch, Eleanor who at the time was ably assisted by Malaika, whom we later lost in childbirth
Asante is Mwendi's second calf after her first was killed by lions. Her name means `thank you` in Swahili and she is the perfect older sister to Mpia. Read more
Arriving at the Voi Stockades at just a few weeks old, little Mpia (meaning `new`) was proudly paraded by her mother Mpenzi who was rescued as an orphan in 1993 at just under a year old. Mpia`s older sibling Asante is always nearby looking after her younger sister. Read more
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