Ngasha's Story

On the 30th September a young male elephant calf was seen wandering alone through Maungu Town. Community members from Maungu were astonished to see this tiny baby elephant wandering frightened and bewildered, causing a huge commotion amidst curious bystanders. Thankfully the community reported the orphan to neighbouring Rukinga Ranch who mobilized their scouts and, together with the Kenyan Wildlife Service and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust team from the Voi Rehabilitation Unit, soon captured the calf.

Ngasha's Story

The seven month old calf was swiftly transferred to Rukinga to await the arrival of the DSWT Nairobi rescue team by air; the young orphan was visibly stressed and, having been alone for several days, he was a little thin. At the same time the DSWT HQ got an alert of yet another orphan sighting on Galana Ranch. We sent our pilot out on Aerial Patrol in an effort to locate this orphan but sadly he was never found. The rescue team transported the orphan from Maungu to the Voi Stockades were he was successfully fed and allowed to rest while they waited for the Nairobi rescue team to land at the Tsavo East National Parks Voi airstrip.

The young orphan was soon safely accommodated in a stockade at the Nursery with the comfort of the other orphans next to him. He was showing good strength before settling down as soon as his milk was offered to him. Having been terribly dehydrated and thirsty after his ordeal he has taken incredibly well to his feeding routine and is slowly accepting his new human family.

This precious new baby boy has been named Ngasha, a name taken from a prominent hill within the Sagala-Maungu area. The community members of Maungu must be thanked for their help in rescuing Ngasha, if they hadn’t reported him as quickly as they had his chances of survival would have been very slim.

With just over two weeks of recovery and intensive care from the Keepers and the whole team at the Nairobi Nursery Ngasha is settling in well. During his first days at the Nursery Unit he was quite reserved, a clear indication he was mourning for the loss of his beloved family. However in the last few days we have seen a remarkable improvement, not only has he gained some condition physically, he is also playing and making friends which is a sure sign he is on the road to recovery both mentally and physically.

Adopt Ngasha for yourself or as a gift.

Adopt Ngasha for yourself or as a gift.

Current Age

12 years old

Gender

Male

Rescued date

30 September 2012

Rescue Location

Tsavo Ecosystem, Tsavo East NP

Date of Birth (approximate)

27 February 2012

Reason Orphaned

Unknown

Age at Rescue

7 months old (approx)

Current Location

Living Wild

Ngasha's featured photos

Our digital adoption programme includes the following:

Personalised adoption certificate.

Monthly email update on your orphan and the project.

Monthly watercolour by Angela Sheldrick.

Access to special content; latest Keepers' Diaries, videos and photos

Give Ngasha the gift of life by adopting today.

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Jasiri and Ngasha