0:00:04 > 0:00:08Come and meet one of Africa's most unusual families.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13We've spent a whole year with a family of elephants raised by people.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17It's a family on a hazardous journey back into the wild...
0:00:18 > 0:00:21..and this is their story.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23SHE LAUGHS
0:00:23 > 0:00:26All of these elephants have been orphaned
0:00:26 > 0:00:30under traumatic circumstances, having lost their families.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Look at this little elephant.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37How can you not adore him?
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Will I ever forget an experience like this?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Yeah, all right, there...!
0:00:57 > 0:01:00We've just had a call that there's a little orphaned elephant
0:01:00 > 0:01:02that needs rescuing in Samburu.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07But being rescued is just the beginning.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10This is turning out to be much, much more difficult.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25This is Nairobi National Park in Kenya,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and I'm here to meet a unique herd of rescued baby elephants.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33All of them have had the worst possible start in life.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36They've all lost their mothers.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40The leader of this little band of orphaned toddlers is Wendi.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43She's been here almost since the day she was born.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46She never knew her mother, so everything she knows
0:01:46 > 0:01:49about being a baby elephant she's learnt from here.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54She was only days old and still had her umbilical cord attached
0:01:54 > 0:02:00when she was found, abandoned after her family fled from people.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02You wouldn't know from looking at her now,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05but because she lost her mother at such a young age
0:02:05 > 0:02:07her immune system was extremely fragile.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10She arrived in a very poor state.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15She got a blood transfusion from an older elephant, saving her life,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19and now she's healthy, happy and can be pretty mischievous!
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Get off my leg!
0:02:22 > 0:02:25The only reason that Wendi and the others are alive
0:02:25 > 0:02:29is that they've been brought to an elephant nursery unlike any other.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37This is a place where playing football
0:02:37 > 0:02:41helps kick-start the recovery of brokenhearted babies.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50It's a place where bath time fun mends broken spirits
0:02:50 > 0:02:55and prepares shy orphans for their return to a life in the wild.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05It's a place where a team of devoted keepers become surrogate mothers,
0:03:05 > 0:03:10sleeping next to vulnerable babies to give them the reassurance they desperately need.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18All of these babies owe their lives to the vision of a remarkable woman.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23For 50 years Daphne Sheldrick has helped
0:03:23 > 0:03:25nurse orphaned elephants back to life.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35Like many Kenyans, she's seen the devastating effect of decades of poaching on wild herds,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and this is her way of giving something back to the elephants.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Over the years, Daphne and her team have rescued more than 100 baby elephants.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53As well as looking after their everyday physical needs,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57she and her keepers have learnt how to heal the emotional scars
0:03:57 > 0:04:01the babies carry after losing their own families in the wild.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Oh, you!
0:04:10 > 0:04:15The intensive care and safety of the nursery is just the start of a hazardous journey
0:04:15 > 0:04:20designed to give baby elephants a second chance for a normal life.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24But the nursery is not their final destination.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The ultimate aim is to get them back into the wild,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32but first every one of these babies has to learn what it takes
0:04:32 > 0:04:35to be a free-living wild elephant.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40The odds are stacked against them.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46Only about half of the babies that are rescued survive to see their second birthday.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53But this is a story of hope, so over the next year
0:04:53 > 0:04:58I'll be getting to know some of the orphans at the nursery in Nairobi
0:04:58 > 0:05:01to see if these babies can recover from their loss
0:05:01 > 0:05:06and start to learn the skills they need to live as wild adults.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09If they make it, they'll graduate to a release site
0:05:09 > 0:05:12in the wilds of Kenya's biggest national park,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15where Jonathan is following the second stage of their story.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33This is Tsavo National Park, and we're about 350km east
0:05:33 > 0:05:36of where Michaela is at the Nairobi orphanage.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Tsavo is a huge chunk of Africa.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43It's an area the size of Wales,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and this is where the young orphans from Nairobi are brought
0:05:47 > 0:05:51when they're ready to begin the gradual process of returning to the wild.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08This is perfect elephant country,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and it's home to Kenya's largest population of wild elephants -
0:06:12 > 0:06:1610,000 of them living in a complex society
0:06:16 > 0:06:19dominated by mature females, the matriarchs.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23The hope is that, ultimately, the orphans can one day join them
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and live a normal life in the African bush.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34For the orphans, the journey from first being rescued to finally returning to the wild
0:06:34 > 0:06:39is one of harsh lessons that can take several years to complete.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42To see what it takes to make it, I've come to meet an orphan
0:06:42 > 0:06:46that the keepers think is nearing the end of that journey.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49This is Emily, and she's the matriarch of the orphan herd.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52She had a really lousy start in life.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55When she was just four weeks old she fell into a cesspit,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and the stench of human waste caused her mother to reject her.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01In fact, not only did she reject her,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04she picked her up and tossed her through the air.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10Luckily for her, she was rescued and taken to the Nairobi nursery.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15Emily's now ten and the oldest elephant still being cared for here in Tsavo.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But she's at a crossroads in her life.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21For the moment at least she's helping 29 other orphans
0:07:21 > 0:07:24learn the ropes and stay out of trouble.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28But she's also old enough to leave the security of life
0:07:28 > 0:07:30with the keepers and the other orphans
0:07:30 > 0:07:33and start a family of her own back in the wild.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36The question is, when?
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Over the next year, I hope to follow Emily's story and find the answer.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44First I need to win her trust,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47so Emily's keepers are taking me to meet her
0:07:47 > 0:07:49to see if she likes the look of me.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54This is crunch time.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Phew! I can feel my heart beating.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Big meeting coming up.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Here they come. What a sight!
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Beautiful!
0:08:07 > 0:08:11That big elephant in the middle - that must be Emily.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14They look absolutely amazing.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17This is my first opportunity to see the Tsavo herd.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25The first thing you notice is that almost all of them are the same size,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and that's not what you'd expect if it was a wild herd.
0:08:27 > 0:08:33That's because all of them are orphans, just like the babies at the nursery with Michaela in Nairobi.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35And they look... I mean, look at them!
0:08:42 > 0:08:44I can't quite believe I'm doing this.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49I'm so used to being out in somewhere like the Masai Mara, where you've got elephants that are wild.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51You stay in your car.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57The last thing you would want to do amongst elephants is be out on foot like this.
0:08:57 > 0:09:04And if I say that Emily is, you know, she's barely a teenager, but she is looking bigger and bigger.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08In fact, I don't think I need the binoculars any more.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Now, it's really important that Emily accepts me, so at some point
0:09:30 > 0:09:34I'm hoping that she'll come and introduce herself to me,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and then, hopefully, I'll become one of the herd.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Because without her acceptance I haven't got a chance of really following this story.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Whoops.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Uh-oh.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49She is suddenly looking very big.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00If she wanted to, she could really do me some damage,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02so I have to take this nice and easy.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I can actually feel her breath.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29She's just breathing down that trunk,
0:10:29 > 0:10:30just spraying me in my face.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40OK, what's her decision?
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Hello.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55EMILY SNORTS
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Wow. Speechless!
0:11:17 > 0:11:19I don't know what she was saying to me, but...
0:11:19 > 0:11:23that was pretty amazing, I can tell you.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Phew.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Incredible.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33I think it's gonna be OK, but who knows?
0:11:35 > 0:11:41Here at the nursery in Nairobi is where the journey back into the wild begins.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46No-one knows when or where the next baby is going to need rescuing,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50so the team here is always on standby.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Keepers like Edwin dedicate their lives to helping these traumatised babies.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Six years ago, he hoped to be a priest.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Now his life revolves around baby elephants.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Like many of the keepers, before working here
0:12:09 > 0:12:15he'd never set eyes on an elephant, let alone looked after one.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18But now you'd think he was born to it.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24Just look at this scene - you can see that these elephants have such a strong bond with their keepers.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29And at this nursery stage, the keepers are vital to the orphans.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32They're with them 24 hours a day, they give them love, attention,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36they nurture them, they feed them, they sleep with them.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And it's so lovely to see!
0:12:40 > 0:12:46It's the bond between the keepers and elephants that helps make this place so unique,
0:12:46 > 0:12:51and it's the key to their success with these sensitive and vulnerable young babies.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56MOBILE PHONE RINGS
0:12:56 > 0:12:57Hello?
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Yes.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02HE SPEAKS SWAHILI
0:13:02 > 0:13:04We've got a rescue down in Samburu.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06HE SPEAKS SWAHILI
0:13:15 > 0:13:17OK, we'll shoot for five o'clock. Is the pilot there?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The rescue is being co-ordinated by Daphne's daughter Angela.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23We'll be there as soon as we can.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27As an emergency flight is being organised, the keepers,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31led by Edwin, load a truck with essential supplies needed
0:13:31 > 0:13:33for the rescue and head out to Nairobi's Wilson Airport.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52The call has come from the Samburu National Reserve, a couple of hours away by plane.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57What's happened is that a baby elephant has been discovered alone and in trouble.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02She's lost both her own mother and her entire family group
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and is trying to latch on to any other herd she can find.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09But all she's getting is rejection.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15At just a few months old, she's still totally dependant on milk.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21Sunken temples show that she hasn't fed for days and is suffering from severe dehydration.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30A mother pushes her away,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34anxious to defend her own baby from this little stranger.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42All alone and totally rejected, she has no food or protection.
0:14:42 > 0:14:48If she doesn't starve to death, she'll be an easy target for predators.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Without her mother, her life hangs in the balance.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04Back in Nairobi, not a second is wasted in getting airborne.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10But even as they take off, the keepers have no way of knowing if they can get to her in time.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19The abandoned baby is still trying to follow a herd
0:15:19 > 0:15:22as they cross a river swollen by recent rains.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29Despite their hostility, the little elephant can't resist following them.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36But she's taking a huge risk.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Baby elephants are sometimes separated from their mothers
0:15:39 > 0:15:42as they try to cross fast-flowing rivers,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and, in fact, this could have been how she lost her own family.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56On board the rescue plane with Edwin and the other keepers is a Kenyan Wildlife Services vet.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02They have to find the orphan as quickly as possible.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08It's getting late, and soon lions and hyenas will be looking for an easy kill.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12But they're still an hour's drive away from the river.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Meanwhile, the little orphan is now gambling with her life.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21She's being overwhelmed.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27She really needs the bigger elephants to help her.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33But instead, they're pushing her away.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41This seems like a harsh reaction, but taking on a needy, unrelated baby
0:16:41 > 0:16:44would jeopardise their own family's future.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53With darkness approaching, she's in deep trouble.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Her only hope lies with Edwin and the rescue team...
0:16:57 > 0:16:59if they can find her in time.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11For the babies already at the Nairobi nursery, the chaos of their rescues is behind them.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14But the trauma lives on.
0:17:15 > 0:17:22Like all babies, they thrive on routine, and here it helps mend shattered lives.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26So each day follows a set pattern.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30When they first arrive, some of the orphans are so distressed
0:17:30 > 0:17:35after losing their mothers, they simply give up the struggle to live.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39But friendships formed with the other little ones here
0:17:39 > 0:17:42can make the difference between life and death.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46This is where Wendi comes in.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51The nursery encourages the orphans to live as they should in the wild.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55So just as a wild herd has its matriarch...
0:17:55 > 0:18:00the baby herd has its own mini-matriarch, Wendi.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05She's got a big heart and takes any newcomers under her wing,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08mothering them until they can gain their confidence.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15The younger babies look up to her, and Wendi's natural affection
0:18:15 > 0:18:19helps fill the emotional void left by losing their own mothers.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Throughout the day, the elephants move around,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28so that they can graze on different foods.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33It also gives them a chance to get to know each other and work as a herd
0:18:33 > 0:18:37and sort out what their role is, although Wendi is always the leader.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41This is basically what would happen with a wild herd of elephants.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46The big difference is, though, in the wild it would be a herd with lots of different ages,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and the leader would be an old female of at least 50 plus.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56Here, it's a bunch of orphans, and an elephant less than two years old has to take responsibility.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Wendi's always ready to welcome any new arrival,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05provided an orphaned baby can survive long enough to reach the nursery.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Back in Samburu, things are going from bad to worse.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19By the time the rescue team finds the abandoned baby,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23it's too dark to fly her out, and if they can't capture her,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Edwin knows she's unlikely to survive the night.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34She may be weak and starving, but fear gives her the strength to run for her life.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37The team can't risk losing her.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47It's the wildlife vet who manages to catch her.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49ELEPHANT GRUNTS
0:19:49 > 0:19:54She's so scared they need to cover her head with a blanket to calm her down.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58ELEPHANT SQUEALS
0:20:01 > 0:20:06As the vet checks her out, the priority is to get some rehydration fluid into her,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10probably the first proper drink she's had since losing her mother.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17If she doesn't take the bottle, they could lose her in the night.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40For Emily's herd of older orphans, the routine of daily life in Tsavo
0:20:40 > 0:20:46follows a similar pattern to the one they grew up with in the Nairobi nursery.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59At first light, the keepers let the elephants out from the safety of their overnight stockades.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07They then take a step back, and Emily takes charge.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Elephants live as long as we do and go through the same stages of life
0:21:11 > 0:21:16at the same time as us, so all these youngsters are really just children.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20They still need the guidance of an older elephant like Emily.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49That's a pretty good way to start the morning, isn't it?
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Stretching, rubbing...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55You've got food to hand, as well.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24With Emily leading and protecting the orphans, every day spent in the park
0:22:24 > 0:22:28brings them a step closer to becoming wild elephants again.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Now, here in Tsavo, the elephants are allowed to roam completely wild,
0:22:40 > 0:22:45so this is their first chance to really find out what is or isn't dangerous out in the bush.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48The keepers are still here, but they're more in the background.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Each day is different, because there's no knowing who or what they'll meet next.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02This time it's just the neighbours, a herd of curious giraffe.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08But in thick stuff like this, the young orphans need to be on their guard.
0:23:12 > 0:23:19And if there is something or someone new, the herd can usually rely on Emily to be the first in.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Emily just checking us out.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Hi, Emily. I suppose you could describe this as the equivalent of an elephant handshake!
0:23:57 > 0:24:00You can feel her just blowing warm air back up to me.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05It's amazing, that trunk.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12She can do anything she wants with it, and, of course, if she wanted to
0:24:12 > 0:24:18she could just pick me up and throw me away. But she's so gentle.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Hello.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I don't think she liked the way I tied my laces up!
0:24:36 > 0:24:42You know, it's wonderful to feel her relaxing enough to allow me to join her herd.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46It means I CAN get really close to her over the coming months
0:24:46 > 0:24:51as she decides whether she's going to stay with the orphans or head back to the wild.
0:24:58 > 0:25:04In Nairobi, Daphne and the keepers are waiting for news of the little Samburu baby.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08For chest, OK?
0:25:08 > 0:25:09Stress...
0:25:09 > 0:25:16Everyone fears the worst, but preparations are being made, hoping for the best.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19If she does make it, she'll be desperately hungry,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24so a unique milk formula pioneered by Daphne is made ready.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29The keepers try to anticipate her physical needs,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33but no-one knows what state she'll be in emotionally.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Back in Samburu, the morning brings good news.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41The little orphan has survived the night.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45But now she has to be sedated for her flight to Nairobi.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48A plane is no place for a traumatised elephant.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01Despite a sleepless night, Edwin can't relax for a moment.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08He's constantly checking on the latest addition to his orphan family
0:26:08 > 0:26:10to ensure that she's still breathing.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Too much anaesthetic could kill her.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28As soon as they touch down, there's a truck from the nursery waiting to take her to her new home.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38They rush her straight to the nursery, desperate to get her to safety before she starts to wake up.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49As the nursery's newest member arrives, she's welcomed by Daphne.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55She decides to put her into the stable next to Wendi,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59hoping that the mini-matriarch will be able to comfort and reassure her.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05ELEPHANT GRUNTS
0:27:05 > 0:27:08As she comes round, mattresses are on hand to stop her hurting herself...
0:27:08 > 0:27:10ELEPHANT SQUEALS
0:27:10 > 0:27:13as she panics at all the strange sights and smells.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21She's naturally confused, and very frightened by all the people around her.
0:27:21 > 0:27:27She's also suffering from the aftereffects of the anaesthetic, so anything could happen.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34This is the first real chance to see what state she's in
0:27:34 > 0:27:38and if her ordeal has left any lasting physical damage.
0:27:40 > 0:27:46After two days without sleep, Edwin hands her over to the other keepers.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51With coaxing, she accepts a much-needed drink of milk.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56It's a good sign, but she's by no means out of danger yet.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00She's still clinging to life,
0:28:00 > 0:28:06but she could so easily have caught deadly pneumonia from the flooded river.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16The keepers have decided to call her Naserian, Samburu for "lucky one".
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Only time will tell if that's true.
0:28:18 > 0:28:24Right now, the only certainty is that the next 24 hours are going to be critical.
0:28:28 > 0:28:35Tomorrow on Elephant Diaries, there's a big move ahead for Wendi and the older Nairobi orphans.
0:28:35 > 0:28:42In Tsavo, how will Emily react when her herd encounters wild elephants?
0:28:45 > 0:28:48And will Naserian win her battle for life?