Baby Elephant Rescue

On the afternoon of December 5, 2021, the Samburu Trust raised the alarm about an injured orphaned elephant.  He had been through a terrible ordeal.  His mother had been killed due to human-wildlife conflict.  He was located five days later with a spear injury to his rump.

A helicopter was sent to his rescue.  Although very young, he was still quite large.  It was a big relief to find out that he still fit onboard.

The helicopter landed at the Nairobi Nursery and a team of Keepers took over care and escorted the calf to his new bedroom with piles of cut greens and soft hay to sleep on.

They named him Tingai.  We do not know the full extent of Tingai’s ordeal, from losing his mother to finding himself alone for 5 days.  He remains in constant flight mode and scares easily.  As is common with orphans overcoming post-traumatic stress, Tingai tends to keep to himself.  The good news is that he has been making new friends with the other orphaned bulls.  They keep each other company.

The Keepers at the orphanage are the real heroes.  Each night they sleep with the elephant in their care.  They bottle feed the babies and take the orphans to the bush each morning. Later the kids are rounded up for a snack and a mud bath.  The mud wallow is pure joy. Late in the day the little elephants all stampede back to their stalls for dinner and sleep.

One can forgive Tingai for being wary of humans, since they speared him and killed his mother.  Still he saw goodness in his Keepers and accepted them without hesitation. 

Supported and surrounded by his new family, this little calf’s healing journey has just begun.

You can virtually adopt Tingai and help support his care.

Go to www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

I am continually impressed by the job the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust does, the countless orphaned elephants they have helped, and the many success stories. They share many videos and stories on their website..

The orphan elephant project in Nairobi, Kenya has been a big success.  The goal is to have orphans survive in the wild and join the breeding population.  Over a period of many years, the keepers support the orphans as they learn to become wild elephants.  Even after the orphans grow up and have babies of their own, they never forget their keeper who raised and cared for them