Tagwa

A special mini matriarch of our Voi herd and a beloved nanny to many

About Tagwa

  • Current age

    9 years old

  • Gender

    Female

  • Rescued date

    7 May 2016

  • Rescue location

    Mount Kenya Region

  • Date of birth (estimate)

    4 October 2015

  • Reason orphaned

    Human-Wildlife Conflict

  • Age at rescue

    7 months old (approx)

  • Current location

    Voi Reintegration Unit

Adopt Tagwa for yourself, or as a gift

Tagwa's rescue

On 6th May 2016, Angela Sheldrick was called by Simon Gitau, Senior Warden Mount Kenya, with reports of an orphaned elephant sighted in community lands, abandoned by the elephant herds of Mount Kenya National Park. The community thankfully were elephant friendly and sought to find assistance for the little baby alerting KWS personnel in the area.

With heavy rain storms that afternoon in Nairobi it seemed unlikely that the calf could be captured in time and driven the one hour to the Nanyuki airstrip before night fall, so the decision was made to rescue the baby and keep her overnight at the Kenya Wildlife Service Mount Kenya headquarters.

This the KWS did, with guidance from Company Commander Nelson Leponyapui, keeping her safe, comfortable and warm, until early the next morning.

Thankfully the weather held off and the SWT rescue team were able to get away early, landing at the Nanyuki airfield by 8.00am. The little calf, estimated to be approximately eight months old, was already waiting at the Nanyuki airstrip in the back of the KWS vehicle, very weak and worryingly thin. Immediately she was fed some milk and placed on an IV drip by the SWT for the duration of the flight. Thankfully the IV fluids did her good and she appeared much stronger on arrival at the Nursery and was able to get to her feet unaided, and took a second bottle of milk before settling in to feed on browse.

Like we have seen before with the Mount Kenya orphans that we have rescued in the past, she is covered in a protective blanket of dark fuzzy hair all over her body. We have chosen the name Tagwa for this little girl, an area on Mount Kenya not far from where she was rescued.

Mount Kenya National Park was established in 1949, and protects the region surrounding the mountain, and is home to abundant fauna and flora. Currently the National Park is within the forest reserve which encircles the whole mountain and in 1997 the mountain and surrounding forest reserve was named a UNESCO world Heritage Site. Apart from the obvious touristic value, as it is a place of extraordinary beauty, Mount Kenya is an extremely important water catchment for the surrounding areas.
In an effort to protect small holdings on the lower reaches of the mountain from straying wildlife fences have been erected in parts. It is sometimes that wildlife is caught on the wrong side of these fences and we think this is what happened in Tagwa’s case. Judging by her condition she has been without Mum for quite some time, possibly four or even five days. It is likely that in her desperation she sought company which is why she ended up in the grounds of a Community Member’s small holding seeking help. Thankfully she found herself amidst sympathetic surroundings, as sometimes communities can be hostile towards elephants who can exact a heavy toll on their crops.

With heavy rain storms that afternoon in Nairobi it seemed unlikely that the calf could be captured in time and driven the one hour to the Nanyuki airstrip before night fall, so the decision was made to rescue the baby and keep her overnight at the Kenya Wildlife Service Mount Kenya headquarters.

This the KWS did, with guidance from Company Commander Nelson Leponyapui, keeping her safe, comfortable and warm, until early the next morning.

Thankfully the weather held off and the SWT rescue team were able to get away early, landing at the Nanyuki airfield by 8.00am. The little calf, estimated to be approximately eight months old, was already waiting at the Nanyuki airstrip in the back of the KWS vehicle, very weak and worryingly thin. Immediately she was fed some milk and placed on an IV drip by the SWT for the duration of the flight. Thankfully the IV fluids did her good and she appeared much stronger on arrival at the Nursery and was able to get to her feet unaided, and took a second bottle of milk before settling in to feed on browse.

Latest updates featuring Tagwa

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Keepers Diaries

View diary updates from across all our orphan units as written by the Keepers

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The Rescue of Juni

Juni has the distinction of being the first member of the ‘Voi Kids’, the class of older orphans who were rescued from the Tsavo ecosystem during the 2022 drought and brought directly to our Voi Reintegration Unit.

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Tagwa's Latest Photos

Access the most recent photos featuring Tagwa

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What's included in your adoption?

By adopting, you play a vital role in the life of an orphaned elephant, rhino, or giraffe — helping us provide the round-the-clock, loving attention each one needs and deserves over many years, so they can ultimately reclaim their place in the wild.

Your adoption supports the 100+ orphans in our care at any given time, covering the cost of milk and food supplies, Keepers' salaries, veterinary treatment, and other essentials.

Personalised adoption certificate

Celebrate your adoption with a personalised certificate, ready for you or your lucky gift recipient to print and display!

Monthly updates

Each month, we send a detailed update about our Orphans’ Project direct to your email inbox, featuring photos, stories, and special highlights.

Exclusive content

From the latest Keepers’ Diaries to a downloadable image gallery and more, adopters have exclusive access to our content library.

Do you have any questions?

Please refer to our FAQs for more information on the Adoption Program. However, if there is any specific question that is not on the FAQs page, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to assist you.
FAQs

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