Animal rescuers are busy most days with cats and dogs. However, there are also times when they need to look after much larger animals in the wild.
This is one of those cases.
In Masai Mara a baby elephant lost his mom due to natural causes. He needed someone to take care of him if he was going to survive.
As soon as they found out about the orphaned baby elephant, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust immediately jumped into action.
They planned a flight to Masai Mara to rescue the small elephant.
On their way
It didn’t take them long to get there. The small aircraft they flew in was in the air for forty minutes before it touched down near to where they needed to be.
Next, the rescuers met up with a crew of local veterinarians who had already captured the baby elephant and then sedated him for a safe journey to his new home. An upset elephant, even a calf, is large enough to cause serious damage, including road accidents, if they begin to move around.
Taking an alert elephant into a small plane would be even more dangerous than that.
And that’s exactly where the elephant was about to be.
Air rescue
He was carefully loaded into the plane. Someone would be with him the whole way to make sure his vital signs remained stable and strong and that he remained sedated until they were safely back on the ground again. An IV bag hung above the small sedated elephant in the plane that was barely big enough to hold him.
It was all a little nerve-wracking, but the anxiety wasn’t enough to stop these rescuers.
Soon, they were in the air.
Back on solid ground
The team did a magnificent job, and they landed safely in Nairobi. The small elephant was transferred to another vehicle and brought straight to the Nairobi Nursery to be monitored and cared for.
There, he had an entire team of people to look after him around the clock. This little orphaned elephant was in good hands. He was going to make it.
The baby elephant awakens
Once the sedative wore off, the small elephant began exploring the hay-filled stable he had been left in. As he became less shaky, he began to eat the greens that had thoughtfully been left out for him.
They knew he would be hungry after his journey, especially with an elephant’s appetite!
A bundle of energy
By the next day, he was active and full of life. It took him a while to adjust to the new setting, but he was capable and healthy. There would be nothing stopping him.
They named him Naboishu, which means unity.
Joining the herd
Once the caretakers were sure he was ready, they let Naboishu join the elephant herd in the Nairobi National Park. He would not be spending his days alone.
He adapted to his new environment and the herd. He even began to make friends.
As for his daily routine, he is still being cared for with regular bottles of milk and daily mud baths.
In a few years, they think he may be ready to return to a protected wild environment.
He doesn’t have his mom anymore, but he is still cared for.
There are people looking out for the small orphaned elephant.
Check out the rescue for yourself in the video below:
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust via Facebook
