Trauma and Healing—A Story of Love and Resilience, Part 2
The elephants raced towards us, sounding loud trumpet blasts. Each orphan made a bee line to one of the keepers who, with one motion, stuffed an elephant sized baby bottle into their mouths. In no time, the bottle was empty, and the baby’s trunk reached out for the second bottle.
Nairobi is unique because a National Park borders one side of the city. The David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage lies within the park’s boundaries. This allows the caregivers to take the rescued orphans for “a walk in the park” every day. These outings resemble a similar experience, terrain, and wildlife (like lions, giraffes, and rhinos) that the elephants would encounter in the wild. The babies return to the orphanage at 11:00 am every day when the public is allowed in to view them and again at 5:00 pm when they come home to their protective stockades for the night.
Edwin, the head keeper, told us about each animal, where they came from, and how they’d been orphaned. Many had lost their mothers to poaching or wildlife conflict. Some were found stranded in mud or had fallen down wells.
After the animals had been fed, we were encouraged to pick out an orphan we’d like to adopt. The orphanage no longer lets visitors mingle with the elephants, but that day our small group was allowed to do so.
The first elephant I adopted was Tumaren. The babies are often named for the area where they have been found. Here’s Tumaren’s story:
5:00 pm on the 20th of July brought a call for Kerry Glen of Tumaren Ranch in Laikipia that a baby elephant had been seen by a dying mother, with no other elephants around. The mother elephant appeared paralyzed, possibly poisoned, but the reason was uncertain.
The decision was made to capture the calf, since the mother was obviously beyond recovery. Kerry Glen and Jamie, along with the ranch workers captured the calf, fearing that it would not survive the death of its mother, since predators were prevalent on the ranch, and her mother was later euthanized by KWS. She was taken to their home, where Jamie remained near the calf in an adjoining room all night. It was a sleepless and very disturbed ordeal, because the distraught baby, cried all night for her mother, and even tried desperately to climb through a window.
The calf was flown to the Nairobi Nursery on the 21st July 2009, arriving at noon. She was still strong and aggressive (a good sign denoting the will to live and the reserves to make an effort), but she soon calmed down once the other Nursery elephants were brought in to impart hope and encouragement. The other orphans gave her a warm welcome, and immediately she responded, turning into a very affectionate member of the herd, calm and friendly to both her elephant orphan peers and their human family.
When Tumaren was old enough, she was transferred to one of DSWT reintegration units in Tsavo National park, where she continued to grow up interacting with former orphans and ultimately other wild elephants. Now she is living wild and at age 11 is old enough to become a mother herself.
The DSWT keeps detailed records of all the elephants they rescue and sends out monthly reports to foster parents. The stories of how the elephants participate in the healing of one another is incredibly moving. When a new baby is brought to the orphanage there is a team of both two-legged and four-legged caregivers ready to comfort and care for the trauma victim. The minute the orphan is released with the herd for the daily walk in the park, the resident elephants crowd around, hugging the rescued baby with their trunks and rumbling elephant sounds of empathy and support. They help integrate the newcomer into their new family with compassion and friendship. Daphne Sheldrick recognized that the elephants were essential in the healing and rehabilitation process of the victims, as you can see in their video here.
A few weeks ago, I was surprised and delighted when a reader sent me a cheque for $200 with a message of appreciation for the images and stories about the people and wildlife of Kenya. Her donation enabled me to adopt 3 more orphans currently under the care of DSWT—Naboishu, Naleku, and Apollo, an orphan baby rhino. My granddaughter also chose Naleku as a birthday gift. “I like the idea of helping a baby elephant,” she said. Other readers have let me know that they have either adopted orphan elephants themselves or given them as gifts to family members too. For only US $50 you can share the love!
This week we’ve added a donate button to the website for those of you who want to directly support work in elephant rescue and conservation. During this campaign 100% of the profits from purchases in the online store will go to support conservation work until August 15th.
