Nabulu – Hiking in Harmony

As you may know, while being in Africa I met this Elephant named Nabulu and had to adopt her immediately. It is not just a donation but more a matter of heart. Now, I would like to update you about her and share her full story.

Her story

On 30th January a call was received from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), swiftly followed by a second from the Trust funded Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit, pertaining to an orphaned baby elephant whose progress had been monitored for over 2 weeks in the Oloisukut Conservancy within the Masai Mara, in the hope that she would be absorbed back into her herd.

Sadly this lone little baby remained abandoned throughout that time, despite many elephant herds wandering through that area. She would disappear for days at a time holed up in thickets out of sight of both the rangers monitoring her or the visiting public in the area, but would suddenly then reappear again days later, but always alone. Her condition was deteriorating and eventually in desperation the authorities were unanimous in their decision to rescue her to ensure she could have a second chance at living a long and happy life; with so many predators in the Mara, she was not going to make old bones otherwise.

Dr. Limo, the KWS Veterinary officer who heads the Mara funded Mobile Veterinary Unit, searched hard to capture her on the 30th of January but she was back in the thick undergrowth on rocky terrain that day so they waited until the following day, the 1st of February, in the hope that she would reappear again. She was eventually captured late in the afternoon and the rescue aircraft from Nairobi was coordinated so that there was little delay given the advancing late hour. It took the efforts of many men, eager to provide safety and comfort for this unfortunate baby, and they were thrilled when the flight eventually departed from the Mara with Keepers and elephant, safely strapped into the travelling position onboard, at 6.00pm. IV drips were administered too because of her poor condition, and it was well past 8.00pm before the rescue team finally pulled into the Nursery compound within the Nairobi National Park with their precious cargo.

She was greeted by rumbles from all the stockades and stables with the resident Nursery babies well aware that a new arrival was in their midst. She was placed in a stockade next to Tagwa. Given the new orphan’s restless state, charging at the stockade gates, circling the area and pulling at the fresh cut greens, Tagwa too lost her nerve and became increasingly agitated because of the unfamiliar fracas. Eventually Tagwa began to reach through the bars between their two stockades to offer comfort to the new baby and from then on things began to calm down. We think she is approximately 22 months old, a little female who we have named ‘Nabulu’ which in the Maa Language means ‘growing’. 

It took time for Nabulu to settle, for she had become so accustomed to being alone in such a fraught environment. Her ordeal and the reason for her being orphaned has not been verified, but there are many cases of human-wildlife conflict at the moment in the region due to the drying conditions and mounting pressure on precious natural resources, like water and food at this time, that the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust thinks that to be the most likely reason.

As the days passed Nabulu settled down, and began to suckle the Keeper’s fingers and looked forward to her milk bottles. They did battle with parasites for a good long time, and her one ear flopped forward; that coupled with her deteriorating body condition made her look very worse for wear. They made sure she joined the others quickly and did not remain too long confined in her stockade, despite being rather wild still at the time, so the Keepers had it rough during feeding times because by this stage she was growing increasingly greedy for her three hourly feeds and would come charging in for milk with much pushing and shoving involved. There is a very helpful gnarly tree in the forest which provides the ideal protection during feeding time for just these sorts of scenarios, and so it was that the ‘milk tree’ saved the day and was used until she became calm enough not to shove her Keepers any longer.

They watched with joy too as her ear popped back up, and her body condition improved and despite having very tiny little ears, Nabulu is an attractive little girl. The early signs of post-traumatic stress, with her neurotic unpredictable behavior is now passing and a beautiful gentle little girl is emerging, comforted and trusting of both the men and orphans around her. Her best friend Luggard provided companionship and reassurance in those very early days when she was too nervous to join the midday mud bath.  We are thrilled with her progress and she has now settled into the Nursery routine and is very much a part of all the activities.

Wildlife Challenges

Flora and fauna in Kenya face a myriad of challenges that threaten their long term future. Few ecosystems still exist where the impact of human activity has not been felt, threatening biodiversity and the long term survival of many species.

As human populations expand, communities are moving into habitats previously home to wildlife. Whether it's farms built on traditional elephant migratory routes or increasing numbers of livestock and livestock grazing within wildlife territory, the result is key resources like water and land are becoming more scarce and incidences of crop raiding, livestock predation and conflict have grown. As the population of Kenya is projected to be more than 50% higher by 2030, which will further stress relations between humans and wildlife, human-wildlife conflict is set to become an even bigger issue.

Crop raiding is an issue facing many communities on the borders of national parks. Though many elephants can navigate through the patchwork settlements, some opportunistic elephants find their way onto farms and are capable of flattening entire crops in a matter of hours. Farmers can lose crops, property and even lives - it’s said that some 500 people are killed each year by elephants and wild animals including elephants can killed in retaliation.

The predation of livestock by lions, leopards and hyenas or movement close to community lands as predators follow their prey on migratory routes can also cause retaliatory attacks. The poisoning of bait, shootings and the spearing of animals are some of the cases the SWT/KWS Vet Units have treated.

In the dry season, elephants move between Protected Areas and community land in search of food and water. Hand-dug, steep-sided wells and watering points used for human consumption and livestock can trap young calfs who fall in or get stuck, who may later be abandoned by the herd if efforts to free them are unsuccessful or disturbed.

Help

To learn more about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and donate or support sustainability in form of, e.g. an adoption, you can go to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

My little girl Nabulu