Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) and Wild Is Life charity, rescued two baby elephants in Zimbabwe who were in desperate situations. One of the elephants, Kadiki, was only one day old and had been attacked by a lion, resulting in severe injuries to her trunk and tail. The other elephant, Bumi, a one-month-old calf, was discovered trapped between rocks and was suffering from severe sunburn. The future looked uncertain for these two orphaned elephants until Danckwerts intervened and saved their lives.
One-month-old Bumi had somehow got stuck among rocks and suffered severe sunburn before he was taken in by veteran animal rescuer Roxy Danckwerts, 53. Pictured: Bumi on board a rescue plane. Source: Daily Mail
ZEN, the country’s only baby elephant sanctuary, works in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned elephants.
Under the dedicated care of Danckwerts and her team, Kadiki and Bumi has made remarkable recoveries.
Kadiki underwent surgery and treatment for her injuries, and she is now well enough to walk around at ten days old. Bumi has transformed, developing a playful personality and enjoying his time playing with tires at the nursery.
The reasons for the baby elephants’ separation from their mothers remain unclear. The IFAW reports that drought, poaching, accidents, and predator attacks are common causes of such unfortunate events.
A pioneering collaboration between Wild is Life-ZEN and IFAW offers these rescued elephants a chance at a new life in the wild.
