It had been nearly two months since Lenana’s last visit. But Sunday mid-morning, a large group of ex-orphans arrived at the stockade. Leading the way — and looking proud as could be — was Lenana, with her firstborn, Lapa, and a new baby boy by her side! We named him Laki, which is a lucky name for a son in Swahili.

Lenana was joined by Nasalot, Noah, Nusu, Chyulu, Cheka, Charli, Lualeni, Lulu, Lexi, Yatta, Yogi, Yoyo, Yetu, and Yebo. There was no visible excitement among the ex-orphans, which suggests that they had already met the new baby. Laki looks to be about four weeks old, so there would have been plenty of time for the typical rapturous welcome in the wild.

Lenana proudly paraded Laki around the stockade area, inviting the people who raised her to admire her new addition. With introductions complete, mum and her sons headed east, disappearing into the lush Tsavo wilderness.

The sight of Lenana shepherding her two boys stands in stark contrast to the moment we met her 18 years ago. In September 2006, we were called to rescue a little orphan who was desperately trying to awaken her dead mother. Lenana’s mother had succumbed to illness, but she bravely remained by her side until the very end.

Despite the profound loss she suffered, Lenana blossomed into a nurturing and compassionate elephant. She was an excellent ‘big sister’ to her fellow orphans, first at the Nursery and later at our Ithumba Reintegration Unit. After transitioning to the wild, she became the chosen nanny for her older friends’ wild-born babies, which helped her to fine-tune her own maternal skills.

In August 2020, Lenana became a mother for the first time. Upon giving birth, she immediately brought her newborn home to Ithumba, eager to share the milestone with her human-elephant family. We named her baby Lapa, which means "moon" in the Samburu language.

After raising Lapa, Lenana can handle anything. From day one, her firstborn was brimming with personality and bravado. Undeterred by his pint-sized size, Lapa got into all sorts of mischief and altercations. Lenana dealt with him in her typical, measured fashion, taking his boisterous antics in stride and allowing her friends to mete out discipline where needed. It will be very interesting to see how Lapa handles his new responsibilities as a big brother!

Seeing how effortlessly Lenana has embraced motherhood, it’s easy to forget that she was raised by human hands rather than within the heart of an elephant herd. Yet her sons will only know a wild life, guided by an extraordinarily capable mother.

Motherhood is a monumental milestone for any elephant, but especially for our orphans. After all, their very existence is miraculous: Fate took them from their natal families years ago, but through years of nurturing care and dedication from their Keepers, they were able to grow up and reclaim their place in the wild.

Welcoming a calf of their own marks the culmination of their reintegration journey — a powerful and irrefutable sign that they are truly wild elephants once more.

Laki is the 69th known calf born to an orphan we rescued, raised, and reintegrated back into the wild. These wild-born babies are the best testament to the success of our Orphans’ Project, showing how one life saved can lead to generations of elephants.