A Heartwarming Read . . .
This is an excerpt from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Our Ex Orphans seek help for an injured bull elephant
The intelligence of elephants and their compassion for one another will never cease to amaze and inspire us – as demonstrated in Tsavo yesterday. Yatta, Mulika and Kinna, orphans raised by the DSWT and now living wild, appeared at our Ithumba Reintegration Unit with their calves Yetu, Yoyo, Mwende and Kama, accompanied by Lenana and Sidai, two other now wild-living orphans, and a very nervous wild bull elephant. Our team immediately saw what was troubling the bull elephant, whom they had never seen before – he had two arrow wounds on his back and side. Though brought to a place known to the ex-orphans as one of safety, this wild bull’s fearful behaviour was completely understandable, given the presence of humans. For him, it was people that had fired the arrows and caused the pain he was surely suffering.
We immediately raised the alarm and while KWS Veterinarian Dr. Poghon, based 150km away in Voi, prepared the equipment he needed, one of our pilots flew to the scene in a fixed wing aircraft to keep an eye on this bull from the air, in case he decided that hanging around near humans was not such a good idea. Once ready, we then brought Dr. Poghon to Ithumba by helicopter and he was able to successfully dart the injured elephant from the air. The elephant fell in thick bush, so our ground teams got to work quickly clearing a path to him and then moving him into a position where the vet could assess his injuries and treat the wounds. The treatment was a success and Dr. Poghon has given this bull elephant a good prognosis for recovery.
Being able to successfully treat this elephant, one of 1,136 elephants to which the DSWT and KWS Mobile Veterinary Teams have attended to over the last five years is impressive enough. However what is truly incredible in this case is that, were it not for Yatta and the other ex-orphans, he might not have found help and would still be out there today, suffering from the injuries which could easily have killed him.
Yatta, Mulika, Kinna, Lenana and Sidai had no reason to visit Ithumba yesterday, except to bring this wild elephant for help. They knew where he could find that help and they communicated this to him. Injured at the hands of humans, it is hard to imagine what this elephant must have been thinking as the ex-orphan herd brought him to a place of people. However he is fortunate that they did, as their actions – and subsequently those of the DSWT and KWS – ensured he could be treated.
Incredibly, this isn’t the first time our teams have treated an injured elephant in similar circumstances. Back in 2015, we treated a wild elephant who was known to our Keepers and who, we are certain, travelled back to Ithumba to get the help and treatment he needed, along with his injured companians, (read the story here: https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/updates/updates.asp…) demonstrating that this Unit is fast becoming known as a place of helping hands and safety, which is thanks to the contributions we receive from our global supporters that help to fund our lifesaving field work.