Emoli
Even elephants need someone to lean on. In Emoli’s case, this vulnerable orphaned elephant needed the support of an entire team of experienced caregivers to survive abandonment and near-starvation during the height of a drought.
Emoli’s rescue story begins with a drought that swept through Southern Kenya in 2017. Amid the searing heat and parched landscape, tourists came across a tiny lone calf on death’s door. It is suspected he became weakened by a lack of nourishment (likely because his starved mother’s milk ran out) and collapsed. Fortunately, emergency veterinary treatment at the scene boosted the calf’s chances of survival and soon, he was being stretchered onto an awaiting helicopter which flew him directly to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. But he wasn’t out of the woods just yet. Read more.
If you feel inspired by Emoli’s story, and want to support his care, you can adopt through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Adoption Program. Our ability to raise orphaned elephants so that they will grow up as healthy, loved and supported animals is completely reliant on donations and the generosity of others.
Creating Emoli’s sculpture
Intensive care was pivotal to Emoli’s recovery but so too was the emotional support provided by the other orphans in the herd – after all, elephants are social animals and calves thrive in a family. Thus, artists Gillie and Marc have chosen to place him in tandem with a fellow orphaned elephant named Tagwa.
Raising awareness for elephants
Elephants once roamed the plains of Africa in their millions but now, the species are officially endangered. Poachers and habitat loss, amongst other threats, has brought African savanna elephants like Emoli to the brink of extinction, while their forest elephant cousins are listed as critically endangered. There is a very real possibility we might be the last generation to see elephants in the wild.
By sharing Emoli’s story, we hope to raise awareness and engage people in the plight of elephants, and how our own actions could help save a species.