Yatta's Story

A female calf estimated to have been born towards the end of September 1999 and just one-month-old when rescued. This little calf was a poaching victim, her mother found dead (less her tusks) in the Tsavo/Athi triangle of Tsavo East National Park, below the Yatta Plateau.

The calf's bellowing was heard by a labour gang working nearby, who went to investigate and came upon her not far the her dead mother. They walked across the Mtito tributary, loaded her onto the back of an old Landrover and drove her across the crocodile infested Athi river to the nearest Airfield at Tsavo Safari Camp, from whence she was flown to Nairobi.

Yatta's Story

A female calf estimated to have been born towards the end of September 1999 and just one-month-old when rescued. This little calf was a poaching victim, her mother found dead (less her tusks) in the Tsavo/Athi triangle of Tsavo East National Park, below the Yatta Plateau.

The calf's bellowing was heard by a labour gang working nearby, who went to investigate and came upon her not far the her dead mother. They walked across the Mtito tributary, loaded her onto the back of an old Landrover and drove her across the crocodile infested Athi river to the nearest Airfield at Tsavo Safari Camp, from whence she was flown to Nairobi.

For a long time Yatta was troubled by a strange condition that puzzled all the Vets – weakness, periodic stiff joints and sometimes complete collapse. After massive doses of colloidal silver, glands in her neck became inflamed, then subsided, and a huge hard abscess developed on the side of her face, which was unusually not tender to the touch. In time this softened and burst, after which the wound healed cleanly, and her problem vanished! Whilst in the Nursery she also suffered from a sluggish metabolism, as, indeed did Emily when young, so she was moved to Tsavo along with Kinna and Mukwaju in February 2001 following unseasonal rains in January.
Since then Yatta has thrived. She is a confident and gentle character, whose best friend is Kinna and together they walk together, with Yatta as the matriarch, with their wild born babies near Ithumba in Tsavo East where they were reintroduced to the wild.

Adopt Yatta for yourself or as a gift.

Adopt Yatta for yourself or as a gift.

Current Age

25 years old

Gender

Female

Rescued date

26 October 1999

Rescue Location

Tsavo Ecosystem, Tsavo East NP

Date of Birth (approximate)

26 September 1999

Reason Orphaned

Poaching

Age at Rescue

0 months old (approx)

Current Location

Living Wild

Yatta's featured photos

Our digital adoption programme includes the following:

Personalised adoption certificate.

Monthly email update on your orphan and the project.

Monthly watercolour by Angela Sheldrick.

Access to special content; latest Keepers' Diaries, videos and photos

Give Yatta the gift of life by adopting today.

Yatta's Calves

Meet Yatta's wild born offspring.

Yetu

Female

Yetu was born just outside the Ithumba Stockades and was proudly introduced to our Keepers and dependent orphans when she was just hours old and still wobbly on her feet. Read more

In 2022, Yetu became a mother, to a little girl we named Yebu. In the photograph at the Ithumba water trough are Yetu, Yebo, and then Yogi, Yatta's thirdborn, and Yatta herself on the far right. Read the story of Yetu becoming a mum here

Yoyo

Male

Yoyo was born on 7th October 2017, a month when we would welcome three new wild-born babies into the fold! As Yatta's second calf, Yoyo has a doting older sister and lots of nannies on hand to watch over him as he grows. Read more

Yogi

Male

A very special delivery arrived in Ithumba on the morning of 10th November 2021, after ex orphan Yatta gave birth to her third calf, a healthy boy we have named Yogi! Yogi is the fourth baby born in as many weeks to our now wild-living orphans, following in the footsteps of Kaia, Njema, and Noah. So Yogi is set to have plenty of playmates as he grows up, and he’ll certainly not lack for nannies, or supportive siblings in the form of big sister Yetu and big brother Yoyo. Read more

Latest updates featuring Yatta

Sidai’s Surprise Baby, Sid

Read more

Galana’s New Baby, Gala

Read more

Olare Gives Birth to Her First Baby, Ola

Read more

Yatta's latest photos

Yatta

Yoyo and Yatta

Yatta's family arrives at the stockade compound

Yatta and Yogi

Yatta leading her herd

Makena and Yatta after the mud bath

Yatta and Yogi

Yatta and Yogi