How the rescues of elephant orphans unfold
No rescue is ever the same – and each comes with its own set of obstacles and heartbreak.
Sometimes, the mother of a calf who is stuck in a well would guard over her baby all through the night while its tiny body is trapped underground – only to be frightened off the next morning when herders arrive with their livestock. Rescues involving calves and mothers who were separated are especially difficult, because despite trying everything, it’s often impossible to reunite them due to circumstances beyond our control.
Tragedy Strikes
Elephant calves become orphaned in several ways, including when their mothers die of natural causes, or when they are separated from their herds. Most babies arriving at Reteti are rescued after they’ve fallen into wells, and many are injured while trying in vain to make their way out.
The tragic irony is that elephants often pioneer these wells – smelling water flowing beneath the surface of what appears to be rivers of dry sand, they then dig wells from which they can drink. Guided by the elephants’ scrapings, Samburu families make the wells deeper to provide for their livestock and themselves.
By nightfall, when people and their livestock head home to their manyattas (homesteads), they are replaced at the wells by elephants, impala, warthogs, and kudu. Leopards also stalk the banks. As the dry season progresses, the wells get deeper. Young elephants, desperate to drink and jostled around by adults, sometimes lose their footing.
“Once stuck, it can be hard for a calf’s Mama and other members of their herd to help them out. Often, herds have to eventually make the heartbreaking decision to move on.”
In the past, Samburu warriors tried to rescue calves who were stuck in wells, but when they didn’t succeed, those babies died.
Helping Hands
Today, thanks to the grassroots community movement in this region, they can alert Reteti and ensure that these young elephants are rescued, brought to safety, and ultimately rehabilitated to be released back into the wild.
Reteti is alerted by phone or radio when an orphaned elephant has been found. The team then races to the scene by road, plane, or – for the most challenging locations – by helicopter.
The first step is to assess the situation. How old is the elephant? Could it survive in the wild without help? Is there a chance of reuniting the calf with its family? Reteti’s head keeper will then spend time talking with the community to find out which elephant herds are in the area – and try to determine which of these may have lost one of their babies. The team cools and rehydrates the calf, treats any wounds, and waits out the heat of the day.
“Once evening comes, and the livestock and people move away from the wells, the other elephants start to return. With any luck, the calf’s family will be among them.”
If not, the long wait starts to see if a reunion with its family is possible. Elephants are creatures of habit and more often than not, the herd will return to drink in familiar places. If they do return, there is a chance of reuniting the tiny calf with its herd. All night long, the team will sit in vigil – scanning the darkness hoping for the shape of elephants; straining their ears for a telltale rumble.
If the herd has not returned by dawn, waiting is no longer an option: after many hours alone, the calf will need proper care. The team will then mobilise to carry the exhausted calf into the back of their truck or aircraft for the journey to the sanctuary.
Once the team on site has assessed the situation and judged that a rescue is necessary, the hard work begins. If the elephant is stuck in a sand well, the sides of the hole are dug out, the steep bank is broken, and the mouth is widened – until the team can slip in and stand on either side of the calf.
It’s a dangerous moment, with a stressed and exhausted 90-kilogram animal trapped in a narrow space with two people. If needed, a harness is slipped under the belly of the calf. Pulling from above, and with guidance from below, the elephant is finally hoisted to safety onto the sandy riverbed.
Once at Reteti, the nutrition team will prepare the calf’s first bottle of milk, while the vet will perform a careful examination and treat any injuries. In the company of other elephants, the new arrival will immediately lie down and go to sleep – its human mother now curled up beside it, an arm protectively curved over its back.
Every new arrival at Reteti is named after the place from where it was rescued
Elephants are highly social and intelligent – love and affection are as important to their successful development as milk. Keepers must stay by their side at all times to build the trust needed for calves to accept a bottle. The wedge-shaped Reteti stables allow younger calves to be individually housed at night to keep them safe, while still being able to touch and intertwine their trunks in the middle.
“Keepers sleep on elevated platforms or sometimes inside the stable with the elephants if closer comfort is needed.”
The older, more robust elephants can roam freely at night in the larger boma area around the stables. This encourages and allows for vital friendships to develop.
When they first arrive at Reteti, the calves are fed milk from a bottle. Soon, they’re out on bush walks, being shown what is good to eat and encountering other wild animals – including other elephants. In the heat of the day, they bathe in mud or dust, usually followed by a snooze in the shade.
By ages five or six, the elephants are gradually weaned from being bottle-fed. As they are weaned, they start spending more time browsing in the wild and less time with people.
Their journey back to the wild has begun.