If you think humans are the only ones who celebrate birth, this herd will prove you wrong.
In a video posted on Facebook, a thundering herd of elephants charged towards an unexpected guest. The young albino elephant calf could only see a forest of legs and trunks but her reception was ten times as grand as her size.
Khanyisa, which meant “sunshine” in the local Tsonga language, struggled most of her childhood life.
At only four months old, she was caught in a poaching snare at Kruger National Park.
The device ripped through her mouth. She was trapped for four days without water and was unable to eat because of her wounds.
Luckily, she was found and rescued by wildlife rangers.
She was then transferred to a sanctuary in Mpumalanga where she could be given a place to recover. When she’s well enough to get back on her feet and fend for herself, she was reintroduced into the wild.
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Excited matriarchs were like a team of protective mothers for the young orphaned albino elephant. As she approached the herd led by the bull Jabulani, she sounded her tiny trumpet which excited her new moms.
An elephant who grew up alone was now surrounded by legs and trunks that happily folded her into their ranks.
Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development takes care of and oversees the welfare and health of Jabulani’s herd. According to Adine Roode, the organization’s founder, snaring cases have increased in the last few years. The dwindling habitats make it easier for poachers to snag unsuspecting animals since they are inadvertently led into human-occupied places. These elephants are then harvested for various reasons, but most notably for their ivory trunks.
Because of poaching and other environmental factors, more and more elephants are being orphaned. Roode shared that many elephants in their head are also orphaned and raised by humans.
“I think that is part of the reason that they accept the orphans because they know how it feels,” she said to Reuters.
As an orphan, Khanyisa was also cared for by a surrogate mother called Lammie.
Lammie is a sheep and has supported orphaned rhinos and other elephants that are rescued by their organization. This made sure that even if Khanyisa doesn’t have parents, she could still grow in a caring and nourishing environment.
The organization also shared that Khanyisa would hang out in the sun in the mornings, and sleep among the sheep come nighttime.
But this time around, Khanyisa can run with a family that looks and lives like she does.
A family that can teach her what she’s meant to be while growing up in a place where she’s loved and accepted.
As the herd dances in playful thrashing and trunk singing, we hope that Khanyisa grows up to be an amazing elephant who, in turn, will join this celebration of mothers and aunts as they welcome another elephant into their family.
Watch this amazing welcoming party this herd of mother elephants threw for an orphaned calf as they took her into their ranks.
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