Now living wild, though she continues to visit us regularly
Current age
9 years old
Gender
Female
Rescued date
15 March 2017
Rescue location
Tsavo Ecosystem, Tsavo East NP
Date of birth (estimate)
3 May 2016
Reason orphaned
Suspected poaching
Age at rescue
10 months old (approx)
Current location
Living Wild
On their way back they found a tiny baby elephant wandering around on its own near the road. It is difficult to know if the carcass was that of the mother, but it would appear likely given the proximity of the two, despite the fact that the carcass looked a few weeks old. The calf was in an emaciated condition indicating she had been on her own for quite some time before being rescued having been restrained and captured, and then loaded into the landcruiser and brought to the Trust’s Field Headquarters at Kaluku adjacent to the Triangle. (Kaluku is where our aerial support operates from, and where the Trust Pilots live).
It was well after dark by the time the team arrived at Kaluku, and it required many able bodies to off-load the calf, get her back to her feet, and ensure she received some water. The only place available to keep her restrained for the night was in Humpty the hippo’s recently constructed stable. Humpty is an adorable baby hippo who was rescued just before Christmas day, and has since made Kaluku her home. She has a customized pool and fortunately that evening had chosen to remain in her pool for the night, relinquishing her stable for the newcomer. Despite being very thin, the baby elephant still had fight, no doubt bolstered by adrenaline, so not much else could be done for her that night.
In the meantime the Nairobi HQ had been alerted about the baby and a rescue plane and a team of Keepers were coordinated by Angela Sheldrick, set to depart first thing in the morning in order to head down to Tsavo. A further report received first thing on the 16th confirmed that the calf was alive and well, and so the team departed, arriving at Kaluku at around 10 am in the morning. They were greeted by a curious Humpty aware that the usual routines had been turned upside down. The stable door was opened and the team was able to encourage the calf to drink before preparing her for the flight to Nairobi. All the while this was going on, Humpty was mooching around surveying the scene, extremely interested in the unusual proceedings. The men were grappling with a young elephant calf, while the tiny pint-sized hippo circled curiously, and some of the Trust’s other orphaned animals at Kaluku which included a duiker and kudu, watched from a safe distance. We estimated the elephant calf to be around 10 months old, very much still milk dependent, and without such timely intervention would have died of starvation. One could not help but reflect on the terrifying days and nights she had spent out there before help arrived, alone and vulnerable, fearing for her life, and just how fortunate she was to be sighted. And at first the help she was about to receive must have been terrifying, but elephants are incredibly intelligent animals, and so it would not be long before she would understand that, in fact, she was being helped.
On their way back they found a tiny baby elephant wandering around on its own near the road. It is difficult to know if the carcass was that of the mother, but it would appear likely given the proximity of the two, despite the fact that the carcass looked a few weeks old. The calf was in an emaciated condition indicating she had been on her own for quite some time before being rescued having been restrained and captured, and then loaded into the landcruiser and brought to the Trust’s Field Headquarters at Kaluku adjacent to the Triangle. (Kaluku is where our aerial support operates from, and where the Trust Pilots live).
View diary updates from across all our orphan units as written by the Keepers
A new little nymph just flitted into northern Tsavo. First-time mum Naisula — an orphan we rescued, raised, and reintegrated back into the wild — has given birth to a beautiful baby girl!
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