The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust team in Kenya rescues orphaned elephants in lots of different ways, including teaming up with local organizations, sanctuaries, and resorts that are on the lookout for animals in need.
“On the morning of 29th September 2021, our Field Operations Manager received a call from Salt Lick Lodge, in the Taita Hills Sanctuary. For the past 24 hours, they had been monitoring a baby elephant who had been abandoned in front of the lodge. The hours passed into a day, but not a single elephant showed any inclination of absorbing the calf when they came to water. He was picking at the scorched grass, but obviously still milk-dependent and vulnerable to predators. Our Operations Manager went to investigate the reports at the request of KWS and immediately saw the little calf, who cut a very lonely figure on the plains.”
This video shares the rescue of “little” Taabu, a sweet and social young elephant who was brought back to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust by truck and plane. There, he can establish lifelong bonds with the other elephants in the protected Tsavo National Park.
“We named him Taabu, which means ‘trouble’ in Swahili. This is not a nod to his character — Taabu is an extremely cheerful and easy-going elephant — but rather to the troubled times in which he was orphaned. He is one of the lucky ones, spared from the fate that befalls so many calves during a challenging dry season.”
The reserve is well-known for its vibrant red-oxide soil, which covers the elephants when they play and bathe in the mud and dust.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces “all measures that complement the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife including anti-poaching, safe guarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness and providing veterinary assistance to animals in need.” Learn more about their work.
Watch more videos about elephants, including more Sheldrick rescue videos on TKSST:
• Larro’s Rescue by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
• The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: Kinango’s Story
• Rescuing orphan baby elephant Olorien, a Sheldrick Wildlife Trust video
Bonus: The incredible, bendable, twistable, expandable elephant trunk and How Elephants Listen … With Their Feet.
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