Nalakite was everything to her three calves. Not only had the elephant matriarch given birth to them, but she’d raised them and guided them through life. So when Nalakite became terminally ill, her children were understandably distressed.
The rangers, who work for Elephant Aware Masai Mara, an organization that monitors and protects elephants in the region, alerted the rest of the team about Nalakite’s condition. A rescue crew, including several veterinarians, hurried to help.
Nalakite had gotten a nasty infection from the spear wound, according to Poole. If the vet team didn’t treat her, Nalakite would die. At the same time, treating her was also risky. They worried about Nalakite not being able to get back up after being sedated.
In the end, the vet team decided to treat Nalakite. After sedating her, they cleaned her wounds and administered antibiotics, vitamins and painkillers. But when they gave her an antidote to wake her up, their fears were realized — Nalakite couldn’t get back up.
“Nalakite’s calves waited nearby throughout the day and we all gave them room to be with her every hour or so, mainly to offer both Nalakite and the calves reassurance to maintain calm,” Elephants Aware wrote in a Facebook post.
Nalakite’s calves tried to comfort their mother by caressing her with their trunks. At one point, the oldest son laid down next to his dying mother.
The calves also comforted each other — the sons became extra affectionate with Nalakite Mdogo, their 2-year-old sister, wrapping their trunks around her protectively.
On the morning of October 5, Nalakite passed away. Her three children stayed with their mother’s body for several more hours, mourning their loss.
“Elephants have an understanding of death,” Poole said. “They have a concept of the past and the future. The bonds between elephants are extraordinarily strong and when these are broken, as in death, elephants grieve. Having spent years watching and documenting elephant expressions and gestures, their grief is visible — just as we see it in humans.”
“They are doing well,” Poole said. “They have been with the same family for weeks now, and we do believe that they are with other members of their family — aunts and cousins and so on. The last image I received was of Nalakite Mdogo interacting with some age mates.”
“It is our hope that together with other caring Mara stakeholders, we can help protect the calves and give them a chance to live their lives as elephants should,” Elephants Aware Masai Mara wrote in a Facebook post.
Nalakite Mdogo playing with new friends following the death of her mother | Elephant Aware Masai Mara