Thankfully the community reported the orphan to neighbouring Rukinga Ranch who mobilized their scouts and, together with the Kenyan Wildlife Service and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust team from the Voi Rehabilitation Unit, soon captured the calf. The seven month old calf was swiftly transferred to Rukinga to await the arrival of the SWT Nairobi rescue team by air; the young orphan was visibly stressed and, having been alone for several days, he was a little thin.

At the same time the SWT HQ got an alert of yet another orphan sighting on Galana Ranch. We sent our pilot out on Aerial Patrol in an effort to locate this orphan but sadly he was never found. The rescue team transported the orphan from Maungu to the Voi Stockades were he was successfully fed and allowed to rest while they waited for the Nairobi rescue team to land at the Tsavo East National Parks Voi airstrip.

The young orphan was soon safely accommodated in a stockade at the Nursery with the comfort of the other orphans next to him. He was showing good strength before settling down as soon as his milk was offered to him. Having been terribly dehydrated and thirsty after his ordeal he has taken incredibly well to his feeding routine and is slowly accepting his new human family.

This precious new baby boy has been named Ngasha, a name taken from a prominent hill within the Sagala-Maungu area. The community members of Maungu must be thanked for their help in rescuing Ngasha, if they hadn’t reported him as quickly as they had his chances of survival would have been very slim.

With just over two weeks of recovery and intensive care from the Keepers and the whole team at the Nairobi Nursery Ngasha is settling in well. During his first days at the Nursery Unit he was quite reserved, a clear indication he was mourning for the loss of his beloved family. However in the last few days we have seen a remarkable improvement, not only has he gained some condition physically, he is also playing and making friends which is a sure sign he is on the road to recovery both mentally and physically.