The young elephant and his family became mixed up with livestock belonging to the Samburu community in the remote Ndoto Mountains in Northern Kenya.
Thirsty work: Ndotto the elephant, who got separated from its family when it followed some cattle, takes a drink from carers at a specialist elephant orphanage in Kenya
Rescue: Barely a day old, the baby elephant is eased out of the helicopter by carers before undergoing specialist care
Back on his feet: Carers gave the tiny elephant a warm blanket and helped him support his body as he walked around. He had got separated from his family after following a herd of cattle in the mountains
Touch down: Ndotto was helicoptered to safety of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant nursery
Too young to know any different and with a fresh umbilical cord and pink ears, the tiny animal trotted off with the cattle.
The Samburu community cared for the elephant, who had barely mastered how to walk, before one of them set off on a 24-hour journey by foot down the mountainside to find help.
The area was so remote, that a helicopter had to be chartered so it could be transported to the safe haven of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant nursery, which specialises in caring for orphaned baby elephants.
After being discovered among a herd of cattle, members of the Samburu community looked after the animal for 24-hours while help was on its way
Best foot forward: Weighing no more than 50kg and with a fresh umbilical cord, Ndotto is helped to his feet by carers
As a new born, the youngster will be given elephant plasma which is vital to trigger his immune system
The elephant was so young when it was found by farmers that it had barely mastered the ability to walk
Workers named the animal ‘Ndotto’ after the place of his rescue.
Bedding in: Ndotto, named after the mountain range where he was found, takes a look around his new surroundings at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Weighing in at just 50kg, it was easy for carers at the nursery to carry the young elephant from the helicopter to his new home
The animal will be given a special diet including elephant plasma to build up its strength
‘We’ll do all we can to remedy any side effects and be by his side all the way through the weeks, months and hopefully years to come.’
