Poachers Shot This Baby Elephant’s Mother, Rescuers found them together
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🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:09 When the rescue team saw the elephants, the scene that met them pierced their hearts.
00:13 Indeed, while they were aware that the mother had been the target of poachers,
00:17 they weren't prepared for what they found.
00:19 And the sight was so soul-shattering that the rescuers were unable to hold back their tears.
00:25 The cause of their tears was the plight of the mother's baby,
00:29 whom rescuers called Zangoloni.
00:31 However, this hadn't been the first sighting of the elephant family on September 22, 2013.
00:37 That had come earlier the same day, and had led to the rescue group receiving a report
00:42 of an injured elephant roaming the Kenyan countryside.
00:46 And not only was the elephant badly wounded, but she also had a baby in tow.
00:51 Under circumstances, then, good Samaritans called in the experts.
00:55 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) would consequently head to the scene,
01:01 accompanied by a Kenya Wildlife Service's Savo Mobile Veterinary Unit.
01:06 The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was created in the late 1970s
01:10 and named for the founder's late husband.
01:12 Its website states that it "embraces all measures that complement the conservation,
01:18 preservation and protection of wildlife,"
01:21 and in particular it "specializes in the protection of dangerous species such as elephants."
01:26 Furthermore, the Mobile Veterinary Unit was equipped with everything it would need
01:31 to tend to a wounded elephant, and so when the group finally tracked down the injured animal,
01:36 they were ready to treat her.
01:37 But there was one more matter that needed attending to first.
01:41 First of all, the baby needed to be tranquilized along with her mommy.
01:45 Next, Dr. Jeremiah Poggin began to assess the poor animal's injuries.
01:50 He discovered that the adult elephant had suffered a leg wound.
01:54 In fact, mommy had been the target of poachers, who were no doubt after her ivory.
01:59 Mommy elephant had survived, but she had been shot in the leg as a result of the encounter.
02:04 Unfortunately, though, the DSWT found that treating her wound was far from straightforward.
02:10 Specifically, the elephant's survival was in question
02:13 due to the fact that the bullet had become lodged firmly in her leg bone.
02:17 And the wounded animal's prospects didn't seem good.
02:20 As executive director of DSWT, UK, Robert Branford recalled to the Dodo in February 2017.
02:28 "Although the team did all they could, the prognosis was relatively poor," he said.
02:33 "She was struggling to walk far and with a young calf, that was a very difficult position to be in."
02:39 As a result, all the team could do was leave them be and hope for a positive outcome.
02:44 And at first, it seemed like the elephant family might have a happy ending.
02:49 They were seen a week later, and despite the team's fears,
02:52 Zongoloni's mommy seemed to be recovering well.
02:55 It appeared that the operation had been a success.
02:58 But the following week, the adult elephant collapsed.
03:02 The evidence suggested that she'd fallen several days before her discovery,
03:06 leaving Zongoloni to fend for herself.
03:09 What's more, the baby elephant had stayed at her mother's side,
03:12 enduring hunger and thirst in her sorrowful vigil.
03:16 The traumatized calf survived by drinking her mother's urine.
03:19 But without proper nourishment, she was getting weaker.
03:22 And yet, she still stayed by her mommy's side to protect her in her darkest hour.
03:27 In fact, when the pair were discovered,
03:29 Zongoloni was trying desperately to revive her mom with her trunk.
03:33 Teams from both DSWT and specialists in anti-poaching from the Kenyan town of Voi
03:39 subsequently raced to the scene.
03:41 Despite their experience of similar situations, though,
03:44 the sight was still overwhelming for some rescuers.
03:47 Zongoloni's actions broke their hearts, and all they could do was weep for her.
03:52 "Zongoloni's mother was clearly targeted for her ivory tusks," Bradford told the Dodo.
03:58 "This agony, pain and heartbreak had been caused from a single bullet.
04:03 The saddest part was knowing that both mother and calf
04:06 had been without food or water for some time."
04:09 The team couldn't save Zongoloni's mother,
04:12 so they euthanized her in order to end her suffering.
04:15 There was still hope for little Zongoloni herself, though.
04:18 She was tranquilized and transported to DSWT's Nairobi National Park.
04:23 And while she was badly dehydrated, rescuers gave her a drip that saved her life.
04:28 However, Zongoloni had been emotionally scarred by her mother's tragic death.
04:33 She would lash out at keepers, and they were unable to bottle-feed her as a result.
04:38 But kindness and patience, along with some elephant expertise, eventually won the day.
04:43 "To help with her emotional stress, we would bring the other orphans
04:47 to feed just outside of Zongoloni's stable," Bradford explained.
04:51 "This helps immeasurably with all new arrivals.
04:54 It gives them a sense of belonging once more."
04:56 And over time, the technique worked.
04:59 Twelve days later, Zongoloni joined the other nursery elephants,
05:03 and her healing process began in earnest.
05:06 Indeed, in the following three years, the baby elephant found her place in the herd
05:10 and has gone from strength to strength.
05:12 So much, in fact, that she was later made part of DSWT's rehabilitation program.
05:18 "She's also feeling the call of the wild and spending more time with wild elephant herds," Bradford explained.
05:25 "Zongoloni will one day return to the wild and begin a family of her own."
05:29 "Man took away her mother's life, and we're determined to give Zongoloni
05:33 the wildlife she truly deserves."
05:36 Although Zongoloni is now on the road to recovery and rehabilitation,
05:40 sadly, her experience is far from unique.
05:43 Her story, along with many before her, is a graphic reminder of the price that's paid for ivory,
05:48 the DSWT has stated in a video about the incident.
05:53 Let's hope those words prove resonant.
05:56 [Music]