Brian received a phone call from a large park nearby reporting that they had a rather large, slightly grey baby animal for us to collect. Another rhino you ask? Well this time the answer is no... it was a baby elephant! You can imagine how our eyes all widened when Brian informed us that we had to get everything ready in order to receive this baby while he took some helpful hands in the form of Martin, Hardus and Natalie to go and collect her. We had not been given very much information other than: a) it was a young elephant b) it did not appear to have a mother and c) it was not in a very good state.
So off they went and left us behind to make urgent phone calls to try and find out what we would need to feed an elephant calf, how often and if there were any other special tricks that we would need to know.
Finally we got hold of Knysna Elephant Park. On asking them these questions we set off alarm bells on their side. Without the rest of the information about the baby elephant they were not able to help us initially. This caused a bit of stress on our side as we had to get supplies and get this baby stabilised as soon as we could.
When Brian and his team finally reached their destination they were greeted with the sight of a baby of about 2 weeks old who was very thin and was gushing diarrhea at that moment. A terrible thing to see. As quick as they could they loaded the baby up and rushed her off to the nearest vet in search of some immediate assistance. After she had been hooked up to a drip to try and rehydrate her they then began the trip back home.
During this time Knysna Elephant Park offered to send a team to come immediately and give us a hand and some well needed advice as apparently they are extremely sensitive and are very difficult animals to raise.
A very wobbly and uncertain little ellie arrived at the clinic which had been prepared for her. Natalie moved around her treating her as best as she could and trying to make her as comfortable as possible. She could not stand up on her own legs and was exhausted after her ordeal. We prepared for the long road that was ahead of us as we braced ourselves to put our all into trying to pull this baby, nicknamed “Ellie”, through the darkness.
The time came for Ellie to have a walk about in the garden, stretch her legs and breathe some fresh air. She was accompanied by her 3 caretakers and draped with blankets to protect her from getting cold. This was a treat to see, as she curiously greeted the students with her exploring trunk. These little walks were not very long as her energy levels were not high and soon it was time to return to the clinic in time for her next round of medication.
While working at a rehabilitation center, one learns very quickly not to get excited at the first sign of improvement and so we cautiously kept any excitement at bay when she seemed to be doing a little better or looked a little stronger – we could all see there was still a very long way to go.
After discussions it was decided that it would be best for “Ellie” to be transferred to Knysna Elephant Park before her condition worsened and where she could hopefully be integrated with their free-roaming herd of elephants. Once this decision was made it was all systems go to get her there as quickly as possible. A plane was chartered and all necessary arrangements were put under way.
Soon the time came for us to say good-bye to this amazing creature that had held us all captivated for the few short days she was with us. We were glad that she would be going somewhere where she could join her own kind.
Natalie joined the crew to lend a hand on their side and from the reports we received back from her the flight was an ordeal for all on board. They had managed to fit all the equipment they had bought along, the team of 3 and let’s not forget – the baby elephant... into a very small plane! It was a rather bumpy and squashy ride and they were all extremely glad to set foot on solid ground to stretch their wary muscles!
While all this was going on a boma and clinic was being erected to receive the baby and ensure her comfort. The other elephants gave her a trumpeted greeting to announce her arrival. Once she was settled into her boma it was all systems go once again trying to get her back to health. A name was decided upon and our baby ellie was to be called “Kianga” – meaning sunshine. She was still in a very bad way and everyone was working around the clock never leaving her alone for a minute. Slowly, slowly it seemed her light was shining a little more brightly and when her stools became more formed and they got the thumbs up saying she had overcome the e-coli everyone started to smile a little more. Finally they were able to take her off the drugs that they were trying to combat the e-coli with... shortly after this another infection that seemed to have been lying dormant under the onslaught of the intense antibiotics reared its ugly head. It was decided to take a few x-rays to check her gut condition and somehow the x-ray caught a section of her lung which revealed a terrible lung infection...
Sadly this infection had been masked by the other symptoms and was so severe and already so far gone that there was no hope.
The next day as everyone watched on tearfully Kianga’s sun set early.
It is terribly sad to have lost this magnificent creature but when we are called to fetch animals that have seemingly been abandoned and are in a bad state, there is usually an underlying reason as to why the animal’s mother has left it. Much was learned from “Kianga” and hopefully the specialists will be able to put that information to good use in her memory.
1 comment:
What a very sad ending for this brave little ellie but it warms my heart that so many people were involved and all things possible were done to help little Kianga. She will continue to shine in our hearts.
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