While the histories of most orphaned elephants remain a mystery, we know an unusual amount about Poppi. Her mother, Poppy, was born in January 1973 — just a year after Dr Cynthia Moss began Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE), researching the elephant dynasties of the Amboseli ecosystem.

Poppy was the matriarch of the PA2 family, leading her herd through devastating droughts and the poaching crisis. Over the course of her lifetime, she gave birth to nine calves — six of whom are alive today. Her most recent baby, a little girl, was born in May 2025, when Poppy was 52.

A wild elephant who reaches her fifties has lived a good, long life. This is when old age starts to set in, insidious but insistent. Earlier this year, ATE researchers noticed that Poppy had started to lose weight and seemed low-energy. The SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Veterinary Unit investigated, but her age made it impossible for Dr Kariuki to give a definitive diagnosis. The team continued to monitor her and her youngest calf, who was still entirely dependent on her.

On 24th September 2026, Poppy collapsed. Despite Dr Kariuki and the team’s best efforts to revive her, she died, aged 53. It was a heartbreaking loss, but in the wild, to succumb to old age is a privilege indeed. The rest of Poppy’s family moved on, coming to terms with the death and focusing firmly forward, as elephants must. But her smallest daughter refused to leave her mother’s side.

At just one year old, the calf would not be able to survive without her mother’s milk or the protection of her herd. Now, she had neither. The Kenya Wildlife Service rescued the little orphan and delivered her to our Nairobi Nursery the following day. We named her Poppi, in honour of her mother.

It quickly became apparent that Poppi is a force to be reckoned with. While all the big girls are eager to look after her, she prefers to assert her independence and hangs out with the Nursery’s younger females, especially Talek, Wamata, Alia, and Maisor. This has created some jealousy among our senior nannies, especially Muridjo and Nyambeni. They are astonished that Poppi doesn’t want to be babied by them and can be quite churlish in their rejection!

Her Keepers describe Poppi as remarkably self-sufficient for her age. She has already mapped out the Nursery routines, finding the best greens and instigating pushing matches with confidence. In the evening, she insists upon leading the whole herd home, her short legs racing to her stable with purpose.

Of course, while Poppi likes to act very independent, she is fully reliant on our care. She has a voracious appetite for milk — so much so that we have increased her portion! When she finishes her bottle, she treats the Keeper closest to her with a perfunctory shove, as if that might make more milk magically appear. At night, she sleeps soundly in her bedroom, bunked up with a dedicated Keeper and with neighbour Maisor stabled next to her.

Meanwhile, in Amboseli, the PA2 family is adjusting to the loss of its leader. After a matriarch dies, it can take some time before another female takes up the mantle. The ATE team believes that Poppy’s younger sister, Pate — who is now 39 — may become the next matriarch. 

While they continue to follow the family closely, we will be documenting the path of little Poppi, from the Nursery to her eventual return to the wild. Only time will tell, but what an homage it would be if she follows in her mother’s footsteps and becomes a matriarch in her own right.