An emaciated orphaned elephant calf was rescued from the wild in Kenya after tourists spotted him struggling to survive after a jackal attack- and is now thriving in a wildlife orphanage.
The baby elephant, who was three or four months old at the time, was found wandering and struggling to survive outside Tsavo East National Park in Kenya after a jackal attack earlier this year
Kenya Wildlife Service and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust responded to reports of the wandering calf on March 18
Angela Sheldrick, Executive Director of DSWT said that the calf was in ‘desperate need’ of rescuing when he was found
Rescuers said it was a ‘miracle’ that the calf was still alive, as lions and jackals are prevalent in the area he was found
Angela Sheldrick, Executive Director of DSWT, said of the rescue: ‘The Rescue Team located the calf after a short search and it became clear that he was in desperate need of rescuing, and in fact with the infamous Tsavo lions plentiful in that area, it was a miracle that he was still alive.
Since the rescue, the elephant has been nursed back to health by rescue teams and now lives in a nursery
The reasons behind why the elephant, who was three or four months old at the time, was abandoned are still unknown, though it is believed his mother may have been a victim of poaching
The elephant was secured and loaded onto a plane and flown to Nairobi National Park, where the DSWT operates an elephant and rhino orphanage
He was secured and loaded onto a plane and flown to Nairobi National Park, where the DSWT operates an elephant and rhino orphanage.
The calf has constant care from keepers night and day and they have even reported hearing him snore occasionally
He has also melted the hearts of the other orphaned elephants, even the older orphans who have previously ignored the babies
One elephant named Tagwa has taken him under his wing and constantly tries to get his attention and take him on forest adventures, so he can show him what shoots and roots are the tastiest
When he was first found, the elephant was driven to the Voi Reintegration Centre nearby and given milk and rehydration salts by the team