Elliot the orphaned elephant: A new beginning

He was then airlifted to WIL-ZEN in Harare, where he has been growing, learning, and bringing joy to the nursery ever since.

Kadiki, a three-year-old elephant, immediately took Elliot under her wing, and she remains his steadfast foster mum to this day, teaching him all things elephant. Beatrix, who was only a few days old when she arrived at ZEN in December 2021, now acts as Elliot’s big sister and primary playmate.

Elliot is a whirlwind of elephant toddler activity. When he isn’t learning how to forage, swim, and use his trunk, he is mud bathing, trying new foods (he loves watermelon), cuddling, and playing. Splat the goat and his sidekick Skellum the baboon are often in his company, and they are always up for a romp or game.

Until Elliot fully masters his trunk skills, his caregivers assist him in holding his bottle during feeding. And Elliot’s chubby cheeks prove he isn’t missing a drop. The 50 litres of milk he consumes every 24 hours along with banana grass and nutritional cubes are helping him grow into a beautiful young bull and hit every developmental milestone.

Elephants can spend over five years at the nursery, so Elliot has plenty of time to prepare for his eventual release into the wild. And when the day comes for him to leave, he’ll be more than ready thanks to the dedicated teachers and caregivers—of all species—at WIL-ZEN.

Elephant calf airlifted to safety

9 January 2023

Swift action saved the life of a two-week old male elephant calf after it wandered into a community area nearby Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe the morning after Christmas.

The tiny elephant was being harassed and pushed about by holiday revelers when rangers from the Forestry Commission, ZimParks and Zimbabwe Republic Police arrived just in time to prevent a tragedy.

Officials agreed to move the calf to safety at the IFAW and Wild is Life (WIL) Panda Masuie Elephant Release Project, a rewilding and release facility with 12 elephants in its care.

“We’re grateful to the Forestry Commission and others who sprang into action on a holiday weekend to rescue this tiny elephant and so quickly move him into protection. They saved his life,” says Jos Danckwerts, conservation director for WIL.

The calf received round-the-clock care overnight by handlers at Panda Masuie, while arrangements were made to have him airlifted to the WIL Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) in Harare which specialises in intense care of very young orphan elephants.

Founder Roxy Danckwerts and veterinarian Dr Mark Lombard assessed the calf on arrival and found him to be about two weeks old, in fair condition with no serious external injuries.

“We’ve named our little newcomer Elliot,” says Danckwerts. “He has been taken under the wing of another of our rescues Kadiki, who at just three years old, is proving herself to be excellent foster mum and the two share a stable.

“Elliot is drinking voraciously—consuming 21 litres a day of special neo-nate milk formula—and he is partial to having fun by chasing ducks and other large birds. He has so much energy, and it’s a joy to see such a tiny elephant having such a good time,” says Danckwerts.

The WIL ZEN elephant nursery was founded by Danckwerts in 2012 and has rescued 50 orphaned elephants. Currently 30 elephants are in rehabilitation and 12 are taking their last steps to rewilding at Panda Masuie. Six elephants have been permanently released into the wild.

Subsequent to the rescue of the elephant calf on 26 December, a small breeding herd of six elephants—possibly the orphan calf’s natal herd—was found dead in a nearby forest. The elephant’s ivory was intact so death from poaching is not suspected and investigations continue.