The 2022 drought brought an influx of orphaned elephants into our care. Our Voi Reintegration Unit, which is usually a destination for older orphans as they advance in their rewilding journey, became a nursery of sorts. Given their weakened state and urgent need for care, many older calves rescued from Tsavo East skipped the Nursery and went directly to Voi instead. We called this special ‘class’ the Voi Kids.

On 21st October 2022, rangers on Mwatate Sisal Estate reported a young orphaned elephant. She was very weak and emaciated. In the drought, only the fittest prevail, and elephants must make heartbreaking decisions. When an elephant lacks the strength to keep up with the herd in search of food or water, they are left behind. This was likely Busara’s fate.

Busara was young, no more than 18 months old. Given her precarious state and proximity to Voi, we skipped the Nursery and brought Busara directly there, which had already welcomed several drought victims rescued from the area. Most of these orphans were older, with the exception of a young boy named Baraka, who had been rescued just ten days earlier. We felt Busara would be an excellent friend for Baraka and knew that the older girls would take good care of her.

Busara was at death’s door when she arrived at Voi. We placed her in a quiet stockade and immediately administered drips. For many hours, she didn’t even have the strength to lift her head. As with all drought victims, we had to take things day by day with Busara. For a full two months, she convalesced in the compound, slowly gaining weight and building trust with her new family.

The Voi girls are always on the lookout for new babies to ‘adopt’ — and needless to say, the arrival of a young calf like Busara generated enormous interest. When she finally joined the herd out in the bush for the first time, everyone was jostling to claim her. Unsurprisingly, it was matriarch Mbegu who claimed victory and took Busara under her wing. Together with Baraka, the two young orphans orbit around their matriarch like tiny satellites. Busara is especially possessive of Mbegu and resents any time she spends with the other orphans. She has taken to sticking to Mbegu like a shadow, often standing so close to her that their bodies could be fused as one.

Little Busara has led a charmed life at Voi. We call her ‘the last born’ — she was the youngest and final member of the Voi Kids to arrive during the drought. She will grow up in the very ecosystem where she was born, eventually reclaiming her place in the wild and, one day, starting her own family.