The Tsavo Conservation Area is in the throes of a long, challenging dry season. In times like these, elephants are constantly on the move in search of life-sustaining food and water. When a member of the herd no longer has the strength to go on, the matriarch must make the heart-breaking but inevitable decision to leave them behind. It is usually the very young and the very old who fall victim to prolonged dry seasons.
our Field Operations Manager received a call from Salt Lick Lodge, in the Taita Hills Sanctuary. For the past 24 hours, they had been monitoring a baby elephant who had been abandoned in front of the lodge. The hours passed into a day, but not a single elephant showed any inclination of absorbing the calf when they came to water. He was picking at the scorched grass, but obviously still milk-dependent and vulnerable to predators. Our Operations Manager went to investigate the reports at the request of KWS and immediately saw the little calf, who cut a very lonely figure on the plains.
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Because of the lodge’s proximity to our Voi Reintegration Unit, a team of Voi Keepers were called to the scene. It was a very easy rescue: After capturing the calf, the team drove him down to the airstrip by Taita Hills Lodge, where a plane would collect him and fly him up to Nairobi. By 4:30 in the afternoon, the little elephant was airborne, accompanied by two Nursery Keepers. He arrived at his new home after dark, where he was carefully moved into a freshly prepared stable. Throughout the entire operation, he never seemed agitated or overwhelmed. Oftentimes, these young calves are just relieved to be rescued.
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We named him Taabu, which means “trouble” in Swahili. This is not a nod to his character — Taabu is an extremely cheerful and easy-going elephant — but rather to the troubled times in which he was orphaned. He is one of the lucky ones, spared from the fate that befalls so many calves during a challenging dry season.
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The Keepers report that Taabu is as smart as he is sweet. He is a very social boy who always wants to be in the thick of all the action. He has become very close with Naleku, who is also his night-time neighbour. When Taabu isn’t exploring the forest with his sidekick, he is striking up new friendships, greedily seeking out his next milk bottle, or investigating the goings-on at the Nursery. We are so thankful that this curious calf was spotted in time and now has his whole life ahead of him.
