Nothing is more significant to Loijuk the elephant than her family, especially now that she is creating her own.
At barely 5 months old, the orphaned elephant was discovered abandoned and was saved by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Kenya in 2006. SWT reared her by hand until she was old enough to go back into the wild.
Even after all these years, Loijuk and her family are still quite close. Every month she returns to the sanctuary’s grounds for a visit. But Loijuk shocked her previous caregivers in September by arriving with a baby elephant calf.
It was clear the proud elephant mom couldn’t wait to show off her baby. The calf, who has since been named Lili, was only hours old — likely born only the night before.
Loijuk has never forgotten the kindness of those who helped her. She even invited Benjamin Kyalo, the head keeper, to have a special moment with her newborn calf.
According to Rob Brandford, executive director of SWT, “Benjamin was able to go close to Lili who was cuddled between his knees, massage her fragile newborn skin, and breathe into her trunk, therefore letting her know who he was by his aroma.”
Our caretakers frequently breathe into the trunks of the orphan elephants so they can identify who they are since elephants have a phenomenal recall and sense of smell.
Here is a video of Loijuk and Lili’s heartfelt visit:
Lili was quite wobbly on her feet during the meeting, but over the course of the week, Kyalo watched as she got stronger and stronger.
“Loijuk has stayed close to the area around the unit, allowing our keepers to watch over her and check how she’s getting on,” Brandford said. “Considering September is the peak of the dry season in Tsavo, not the most favorable of conditions for a new baby, we are delighted that Loijuk has returned close to home so that we can help supplement her diet when she visits.”
In the wild, female relatives from the herd help in raising calves. Before giving birth to Lili, Loijuk served as a nanny to other children, and now her calf has two other wild orphans named Naserian and Ithumbah as nannies.
Lili understands there is a secure spot she can always go back to in case she ever needs it and will spend the rest of her life in the wild with her mother’s herd.
Lili is the 31st calf to be born to female orphaned elephants that SWT has reared and who are now surviving in the wild. She is a symbol of hope for endangered elephant populations all around the world.
Moments like this are significant, according to Brandford. “By preserving the life of one orphaned elephant, we are not only watching that orphan thrive, we are also helping that orphan form a family.”
Brandford continued, “We look forward to witnessing this little girl grow up in the wild. Lili has a better future ahead of her than many elephants.
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