Friday 12th June was a day that brought yet another needy orphaned elephant baby
into our Nairobi Nursery, this time a female calf aged approximately 1 ½ years,
and therefore still milk dependent, who was spotted alone by the Amboseli Baboon
Research Team at around 1.30 p.m. who, in turn informed the Amboseli Elephant
Researchers. Soila and Norah from the Amboseli Elephant Research Project located
the calf outside the Park at a place called Narubaala, obviously having come
from the Tanzanian side of the border. She had a fresh spear wound between the
chin and shoulder and it is highly probable that her elephant mother had been
killed in Tanzania where elephant poaching is now an extremely serious fact of
life, massive hauls of illegal ivory having been recently intercepted en route
to China and the Far East. Assisted by KWS Rangers, and using ropes, the
Amboseli Researchers managed to capture the calf and drive her in the back of
the KWS Landcruiser Pickup to the airfield, to await the arrival of the rescue
plane, which was already airborne and landed 20 minutes later.
After being stuck in traffic from Wilson Airport to the Nursery, the orphan
arrived at the Nursery after dark at about 7 p.m. where her wounds were cleaned
and dressed before her legs were un-tied so that she could get to her feet.
Although lean, with prominent cheek bones, she was in reasonable condition but
understandably aggressive, although the presence of Tassia in the next door
Stockade imparted a calming affect. The next morning she took her first bottle
of milk and when sufficiently docile and settled joined the Nursery herd, who
all came to greet her through the separating bars at first light, and later
embraced them into their unit.
The Amboseli Researchers have chosen the name “Naimina” for the new baby, the
word for “lost” in the Maa language. Her arrival brings the number in the
Nairobi Nursery to a record 20 infant elephants which, as usual, necessitated a
re-shuffle of the sleeping arrangements, Dida, Kenia, Kimana and Baarwa being
transferred to the stockade vacated by Lesanju, Lempaute and Sinya to make room
in the Taming Stockade for the new arrival.
2009 is turning out to be a true “annus horribilis” for elephants generally,
who, here in East Africa, face serious ongoing drought conditions, loss of
habitat due to an expanding human population, human wildlife conflict and the
threat of disease as a result of large numbers of domestic livestock in their
Home Ranges, not to mention the serious upsurge in poaching across Africa due to
the insatiable appetite of China and the Far East for ivory.
To view photographs from Naimina's rescue please click on this link:
http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/orphan_profile.asp?N=216
To foster Naimina please click on this link:
https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/foster.asp?nn=1&G=&LP=7142009738-pic7a.jpg&addn=216&N=216&FN=NAIMINA
