Their hopes of survival had looked slim after the traumatic start to their lives. But the orphaned baby elephants thrived and grew up strong thanks to their rescuer’s incredible love, care and attention.
So when the day came for Roxy Danckwerts to say goodbye to Bumi, Moyo and five others she has rehabilitated and raised at her elephant nursery, it was a bittersweet moment.
Moyo, the first elephant rescued by Roxy Danckwerts when she was just two weeks old
Each was then driven on the truck to a ‘wake-up box’ where their sedation was reversed and they stood up, before being ushered into cages inside the 30-ton lorry which took them on the 17-hour journey to the Panda Masuie Forest Reserve, which is supported by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Bumi, a male aged three, was rescued when he was a month old in 2019. He had somehow got stuck among rocks and suffered severe sunburn in the searing heat. The Mail reported on his recovery at the time.
Bumi being hoisted onto a truck ready to head to Panda Masui forest where he will roam free
After arriving at his new home on the 85,000-acre reserve, Bumi is pictured below enjoying a refreshing drink of water, flanked by Unity, who arrived at the nursery in 2017 after her mother stopped producing milk due to a drought, and Sienna, rescued last year after being spotted alone aged 15 months and suffering from malnutrition.
Moyo, a female now aged nine, was the first elephant rescued by WIL. She was days old and only knee-high when she was found stranded in water in 2014 during heavy rains. It was suspected she had been washed away while trying to cross a river.
Bumi, centre, is pictured with two other elephants after the 22-hour trip across Zimbabwe to their new home near Victoria Falls
Miss Danckwerts saying goodbye to Moyo, the first elephant she rescued at her wildlife sanctuary