Heartbroken baby elephant refuses to leave dead mother’s side through the night
Oblivious to the cold - and predators - as night falls, an orphaned elephant calf holds a vigil by the body of his dead mother.
The five-month-old lovingly laid his trunk on her as the emotional drama was played out in Samburu, northern Kenya.
Worried for his safety, keepers from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT), Kenya Wildlife Service and Save the Elephants worked through the night to capture the bull - who stubbornly refused to leave his mother's side.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2628032/Orphaned-elephant-refused-leave-dead-mothers-side.html#ixzz31i9vHekh
NB picture heavy.
benld74
(9,889 posts)shenmue
(38,502 posts)polly7
(20,582 posts)Poor little Sokotei. I hope the other little orphans will help him feel better quickly.
zach.magee
(13 posts)I cried when I saw this.
The Stranger
(11,297 posts)They can't convey.
catbyte
(34,172 posts)Poor little guy. I am so glad he is safe, well taken care of & surrounded by new friends to ease his sorrow.
grilled onions
(1,957 posts)Think of those heads on a wall...GRRRRR, those safaris where the entire goal is to get one a souvenir. These beautiful creatures know pain--physical and emotional. They should not be considered something to benefit from(i.e. ivory or other parts). Just because they are targets hard to miss,especially with the fire power they have today. One dislikes to see them in a zoo. AT the same time you cringe when you hear about them in the wild dealing with drought, shrinking land to call home and those damn poachers!!!!
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)headstands in the circus.
locks
(2,012 posts)My granddaughter worked for the CDC in Nairobi for three years and I had the great privilege of seeing the orphan elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who have been rescued after their families have been killed by poachers. She has adopted four babies for me the last three years and every month I receive a long narrative and pictures of them and their new families. From the pictures you can see the incredible work and 24/7 care it takes to rescue them and nurture them for years until they can return to the national parks to be welcomed into wild families.
Every year thousands of these intelligent and amazing animals are still being poached for ivory trinkets and their orphan babies left to die. If you would like to help go to the Sheldrick site to learn more. I hope if you are ever in Nairobi you will see this wonderful work.
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, dipsydoodle.