Photo ©2005 Jaya Savannah.
Lualeni was my 2nd foster baby elephant from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. She was found abandoned, a secondary victim of ivory poaching, as it was suspected her mother was killed for her tusks. She had tried to find protection with other elephants, but none would adopt her. Humans intervened and adopted her instead.
Lueleni was emotionally devastated and was slow to heal from her deep grief and depression from being orphaned. In 2005 (about 7 months after I began fostering her at the trust) I got to meet her. In the above photo, she was marching back home with a little elephant smile on her face after playing all day. She was just beginning to recover from her trauma. Keep in mind that although she already looks big in the photo below, she was only a one year old infant. It was such a treat to say good night to her as she was settling into her holding pen with her keeper for the night.
Photo ©2005 Jaya Savannah.
Another year later, Lualeni had really turned a corner in her rehabilitation, thanks to the elephant angels at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. It was an absolute thrill to see a video segment that BBC Television had done on her. Take a moment to watch it. It's very inspiring.
If you're reading via email or news feed, click to watch the video.
Lualeni has continued to thrive over the last 5 years. She's been gradually reintroduced to the wild and been bonded with a new herd made up of other rehabilitated orphans. I cannot express enough how much I esteem the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Please take a look at their website and consider fostering your own orphaned baby elephant.
What an absolutely beautiful story! It's so wonderful that with all the trauma this little girl faced, she was able to rebound and be a protector of another baby.
Posted by: Daniela | September 21, 2010 at 09:49 AM
Like a lot of humans I know, Lualeni started giving back that which she did not receive. She really IS a matriarch and an inspiration.
Posted by: Jaya Savannah | September 21, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Great Post Jaya! A story with a sad beginning but Lualeni's progress is testament not only to her but to her keeper's! They really are heroes!
Posted by: Gareth | December 21, 2010 at 05:36 AM
Really heart warming story, I was lucky enough to see elephants in the wild during a safari in Botswana, it was incredible and I fell in love with them immediately
Posted by: Botswana Safaris | January 04, 2011 at 06:52 AM