To Loijuk the elephant, nothing's more important than family — particularly now that she's starting one of her own.
Back in 2006, the orphaned elephant was found all alone at just five months old and was saved by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Kenya. She was hand-raised by SWT until she became old enough to return to the wild.
Although years have passed, Loijuk still has a close bond with her humans. She goes back to the grounds of the sanctuary each month to visit. But in September 2019, Loijuk surprised her former caretakers with a newborn elephant calf in tow.
It was clear the proud elephant mom could not wait to show off her baby. The calf that has since been named Lili was just hours old — likely born only the night before.
Loijuk has never forgotten the kindness of the people who helped her. She even 'invited' Benjamin Kyalo, the head keeper, to have a special moment with her newborn calf.
Watch a video of Loijuk and Lili's heartwarming visit here:
Calves in the wild are raised with the help of female relatives in the herd. Loijuk has been the nanny of other babies before giving birth to Lili. Now her calf has nannies of her own — two wild orphans named Naserian and Ithumbah.
Lili will stay with her mother's herd in the wild for life, and if she's ever in need, she now knows there's a safe place she can always return to.
Lili is the thirty-first calf born to female orphaned elephants that were raised by SWT now living wild, and she's a beacon of hope for threatened elephant populations everywhere.
Image source: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
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