News
New orphaned elephant calf
This calf was left behind when an elephant herd was chased off some crops. The message from camp is:
He is the friendliest little guy you could imagine but has a long and uncertain road ahead. There is a two inch wide, and one and a half inch deep, wound on his scrotum that is full of maggots. We are treating this by removing the maggots by hand and with hydrogen peroxide, betadine and tetracycline spray. He is getting antibiotic and vitamin B injections and his stool is being monitored closely, and his milk adjusted daily. He also has mouth ulcers and an obviously compromised immune system. He is in poorly shape.
The family are up throughout the night with regular three-hour, set feed times. He is responding well but we are ever aware that he could crash at any time. The guys here are being great with him and, as I said at the beginning, he is a happy little fella.
We hope for the best and are getting advice from the Sheldricks and Dr. Sanjay. We have done this before with Mr. Tembo but each case is unique and there are always surprises and setbacks.
A lot more work…but this is the kind we love. Mukka and Jemima have mucked in to do their full share of the work, until we can train the right staff once the leave-schedules are over.
Photos: Mukka feeding; With his carers; Mr Brrrr (AKA Mr Tembo) and new orphan
