Mwashoti
Mwashoti’s journey from innocent snare victim to healthy young elephant is an inspiration to us all. His story is one of bravery: at rescue, some wondered if he would ever walk again but his recovery has been near miraculous.
An innocent victim of snaring, Mwashoti’s rescue is a reminder that human actions can cause untold suffering for wildlife. His story begins with a snare, likely laid to catch small animals like antelope for bush meat. Instead, it ensnared a young elephant calf and caused such a traumatic wound that it cut down to the bone, leaving the little baby unable to walk. In the end, vets determined the only way to save the calf’s leg – and life – was to bring him into the care of the Sheldrick Trust where daily wound treatment and intensive care offered him the best chance of survival. Read more.
If you feel inspired by Mwashoti’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 Mwashoti’s sculpture
Shown in mid-stride, the sculpture ‘Mwashoti’ was created in bronze by acclaimed public artists Gillie and Marc to represent his triumphant recovery and future as a free-roaming wild elephant.
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 Mwashoti 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 Mwashoti’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.