A 2-week-old elephant calf, who witnessed the death of his entire family, has been taken under the wing of older elephants at a sanctuary in southern Africa. His carers are marveling at his recovery and are hoping he can eventually be released for a new life in the wild.
On Boxing Day in Zimbabwe, a disoriented elephant calf wandered alone to a bottle store, 3 miles (approx. 5 kilometers) from the site where his entire family was killed. The calf was terrified by the festivities and being hassled by holidaymakers, but a senior ranger was alerted and shortly arrived with an elephant care team from the Zimbabwean charity Wild is Life (WIL) from their site near Victoria Falls.
“Despite witnessing the death of his entire family, Elliot has shown resilience and courage, as well as a strong desire to live,” the charity said in a social media post.
“Meet Elliot, the latest precious elephant orphan to join the Wild is Life herd,” the team wrote. “Elliot spent the night at Panda Masuie [Elephant Release Project] where he was cared for and fed by our experienced team. Sizi, a veteran orphan, nine years old, who has spent much time in the wild already, took him under her wing and kept him safe that night.”
Early the following morning, veterinarian Dr. Mark Lombard and conservation director, Jos Danckwerts, from WIL’s Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) in Harare, flew to Victoria Falls to meet the orphan and his rescuers. Back at ZEN, Elliot was “immediately fed a specialist milk formula and allowed to rest and settle.”
When the ZEN team discovered that Elliot had a voracious appetite but did not yet have teeth, they judged him to be only around 2 weeks old. The vulnerable youngster required round-the-clock care, part of which was kindly offered by another orphaned elephant, three-year-old Kadiki.
“Kadiki ... is proving to be an exceptional foster mother! She is patient and immensely kind to this little feisty fellow,” the charity said.
ZEN has rescued over 50 orphaned elephants to date. Six have been permanently released, and 12 are approaching their release. ZEN plans to rehabilitate baby Elliot over the course of five years and ultimately release him into a protected wild habitat where he will find a new family and live the life he always deserved.
