a day with Nania in the heart of Deux-Balé National Park

It’s 5:30am in the morning in Burkina Faso. In the very heart of Deux-Balé National Park, Souleymane, one of Nania’s four keepers, wakes up and starts preparing the first milk bottle of his little protégé.

As the sunrays try to pierce through the morning dew which blankets the vegetation during the night, Nania eagerly waits for her breakfast in her boma (meaning “home”).

At 6am, Souleymane finally leaves the keepers’ house and goes toward the enclosure with a big smile and milk bottle in hand. Nania, delighted, drinks it quickly and finishes her two liters of milk in record time. Souleymane then pours half a liter of water in the bottle to rinse it and gives it to Nania who is more than happy to empty it again.

It’s now time for a walk! Souleymane carefully fills his backpack with the elephant calf’s second milk bottle of the morning, which will be given to her at 9am, and a ration of five liters of water. He then lets Nania out of her enclosure, accompanied by Whisty, her sheep friend who does not leave her side. The little group heads towards a body of water located several hundred meters away.

On his side of things, Salif, Souleymane’s partner, is just waking up. The day’s outline was discussed the day before, so he knows exactly what’s awaiting him: washing up the utensils used early in the morning to prepare Nania’s first two bottles, cooking the two keepers’ lunch meal and gathering the necessary ingredients to make up the milk bottles that will be given to Nania at noon and at 3pm.

Upon arrival at a body of water, Nania appears unwilling to take a swim, as the water is still cold in the early morning hours. Souleymane, Nania, and Whisty head north to continue their walk. The small elephant calf continues to discover her environment on the way, which will become her permanent home in a few years. Being the rainy season, the vegetation is lush at this time: Nania and Whisty have enough to graze on to supplement their breakfast. However, Nania’s favorite pastime is to find mud holes to frantically plunge into! Mud has many positive properties for elephants: it allows them to protect themselves from the sun and from parasites, cool off, and hydrate their skin. 

At 9am, Salif prepares himself to join the small team in the bush with his backpack containing the two afternoon milk bottles for Nania, the lunch to be shared with Souleymane, and an extra ration of five liters of water. He contacts Souleymane to obtain their exact position because Nania cannot be kept waiting for her midday bottle!