A day in the life of Elvis, an elephant keeper in Zambia

As an elephant keeper, Elvis, along with his colleagues at IFAW’s and Game Rangers International’s Lusaka Elephant Nursery Project in Zambia (formerly called the Elephant Orphanage Project), provides care to young elephants who have lost their mothers and herds. In a world where every individual elephant matters to save their species, their work is crucial. Watch the video to learn more about the daily routine of caring for baby elephants.

Transcript

Elvis: Hi everyone, my name is Elvis, and this is a day in my life as an elephant keeper in Zambia.

So, we are starting the day with our morning walk through the bush, something we do twice every day with the elephants. Here at the Elephant Orphanage Project, we rescue, rehabilitate, and release elephant calves who have been orphaned. And our aim is to give them a life back into the wild, where they belong. We act as their mothers by providing the critical things they need to survive, like nutrition, comfort, and security.

This elephant is named Zongo. He was rescued after being separated from his herd at only three months old.

This is Olimba. In 2019, her mother was caught in a snare set by a poacher and unfortunately did not survive. Olimba has been in our care ever since and is really thriving.

After our long walk, we head back to the nursery so the elephants can have their bottle feed. They get so very excited for their bottles.

After the four older elephants are fed, I hop into one of the stalls to feed the newest elephant, Wamwayi. He is only two months old. He was rescued after being found alone in a mud hole here in Zambia. He is adjusting quite well to the nursery and the other elephants. My colleague Brenda and I are actually examining Wamwayi today. I am giving some pointers on what to look for, but Wamwayi is being impatient today. Overall, he looks really healthy, and we are happy about that.

And that’s the end of our shift today, so say goodbye to all the elephants, as the night shift keepers will arrive shortly to spend the night with the young orphans and will be back tomorrow to continue preparing them for their life back into the wild.

Thank you for following up with my day. Your support means the world to us.