Two orphaned baby elephants have become best friends after being rescued by a wildlife trust.
Ashaka and Kamok were discovered in the wild separately after being abandoned by their mothers a year ago.
Ashaka (left) and Kamok (right) were rescued by rangers and taken to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi National Park in Kenya a year ago
The animals have developed a close friendship after being integrated into the herd of orphaned elephants also rescued in the wild by rangers
Kamok was just one day old when she was abandoned by her mother and herd. Her limbs were weak and she was unable to walk properly.
The elephants are endangered in Nairobi among other parts of Africa with illegal poaching and threats to their natural habitat bringing the species ever closer to extinction
When orphaned animals are taken in by rangers or conservationists they form fast attachments with other creatures after losing their herds
The baby elephant roll around in the mud to cool down as visitors at the Nairobi National Park watch on. Ashaka and Kamok are part of the Trust’s fostering programme
One of the young animals gets a mud bath from a ranger who uses a heavy shovel to coat their dried skin with damp, wet mud as temperatures soar
Two of the elephants struggle to get back on their feet after enjoying a splash around in the pool of red mud with the rest of the orphaned animals
Rangers use a special formula of milk to feed the elephants when they are babies. Eventually they will be released back into the wild to integrate with herds
‘These bonds will last a lifetime.