Watch: Orphaned elephant proves love conquers all
Orphaned at six days old, Kaikai the elephant is thriving under Sheldrick Wildlife Trust care, showing how love and support can heal trauma.
Kaikai is one of the youngest orphaned elephants in the care of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and to the organisation she is a display of how love conquers all.
The trust is based in Kenya and is a conservation organisation that runs an elephant orphan, rescue and rehabilitation programme.
At just six days old, Kaikai, who hails from Nenkikwei in the Mara North Conservancy (MNC), was left to fend for herself after her mother died of natural causes.
On Thursday, the trust posted a video of Kaikai, now eight months old, on its Facebook page, showing her playful nature with her keeper, Joseph, and the progress she has made.
Watch the video:
Rescue
According to a report on the trust’s website, in May an MNC ranger discovered an adult lactating female elephant who had died of natural causes.
Hovering near her body was a tiny, week-old calf who seemed distressed. Concerned that this calf might be the orphan of the deceased female, the rangers investigated further. Their suspicions were confirmed when they found that no other lactating females were in the herd.
Kaikai was captured by MNC rangers and the team at the Mara Elephant Project and transported to an overnight compound at the conservancy headquarters.
Traumatised
The report said Kaikai was extremely upset.
“Her mother’s death had traumatised her, and she didn’t understand that her rescuers were saving her life. Dr Ashif, the KWS vet based in the Mara Triangle, arrived and gave her a light sedative to calm her down,” said the report.
The team remained with the little orphan throughout the night, ensuring she remained safe and secure.
First thing in the morning, keepers from the trust were flown to the Mara and taken to the Kaluku Neonate Unit.
The report described Kaikai as extremely intelligent, and added that if one ever needed a graphic display of how love conquers all, Kaikai is living proof.
“Want to support Kaikai’s journey back to the wild? Adopt her, as a gift for yourself or someone special,” the Facebook video’s caption states. You can read more about it here.
