Nyiro's Story

A male calf estimated to have been 4 months old on arrival and therefore born in August 1999, this little elephant hails from one of the remotest corners possible of the vast Northern Frontier aridlands of Kenya. He takes his name from an isolated massif known as Ol Donyo Nyiro which rises from the lava deserts of the region. Found by tribesmen, like Ilingwezi, stuck in a trench, the fate of his mother and family is not known. Hailing, as he did, from the hardened population of desert elephants honed by natural selection, Nyiro was sturdy and strong, by far the friendliest but also the most demanding of all the young bulls. He was Aitong's special pet, and a great favourite with everyone, but the one person and thing he wanted above all else was our Head Keeper, Mishak Nzimbi, and Mishak's thumb to suck! Given half a chance Nyiro would have been happy doing this all day long, going into a trance of bliss.