Severe droughts are rampant across the African continent leaving many orphaned elephants starving. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has been rescuing them.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) has been working non-stop to save as many orphaned elephants as possible. Kenya is currently in the grips of a severe drought and their elephant population is really feeling it. There are many orphans who are starving due to the drought in Tsavo, Kenya.
DSWT field teams have been working hard to save them all. They share the stories of their orphaned elephants on their Twitter account and website. Once rescued the orphans are rehabilitated and cared for.
The story that really pulled on our heartstrings was about baby Emoli. Emoli was born on the 5th of November 2016, at just 10 months old he was found by a group of tourists. Emoli was barely breathing and it is reported that he was orphaned because of the drought.
“The fate of his mother remains unknown, but we think she was forced to abandon her collapsed calf, suspecting his life had ebbed away beyond all hope.”
Emoli’s case was a drastic one and all efforts were implemented to save his beautiful life. We couldn’t help but sob watching the video of his rescue.
“Eventually we were able to lift his limp trunk enough to place water from a bucket into his mouth, and he even began to chew on the freshly cut greens hung in his stable and sucked on a welcomed bottle of milk.”
Emoli recovered beautifully and his story has a happy middle as he gets stronger every day. His story is not unique, you can watch many like his as DSWT try to capture the stories of all their rescues. They are saving the lives of these beautiful young souls and it warms us to the core!
“A week after Emoli was saved another drought victim came into our care, this time a little girl, and these two have become inseparable and have helped heal each other.”
Watch Emoli’s story below, maybe also have a tissue ready.
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