Episode 4 Elephant Diaries

For a whole year, I've been following

a remarkable family of baby elephants in Kenya...

..a family of elephants raised by people.

Every one of these little elephants is an orphan,

rescued from the wild,

having lost their mother.

They've all been brought to a unique nursery in Nairobi,

where they receive the intense love and care that they desperately need.

All of these babies have been saved from certain death in the wild

by the vision of one woman, Daphne Sheldrick.

Together with her team of dedicated keepers,

she's giving orphaned baby elephants

a second chance of a normal life in the wild, where they belong.

At around two years old, the young eles take the next step,

when they leave the security of the nursery and are brought here.

This is the Tsavo National Park and we're about 350km east

of where Michaela is at the Nairobi orphanage.

I've been following the progress of the older orphans

as they learn what it takes to return to the wild.

The orphan rescue team from the Nairobi nursery

has been called to Amboseli, to save a little bull elephant

hiding in a swamp after being speared by Masai children.

Despite his wounds,

the little ele runs for his life when he reaches dry land.

But luckily, the vet manages to dart him.

The poor little bull is in a bad way.

His wounds are already infected and he may have contracted pneumonia.

His only chance is an emergency flight back to the Nairobi nursery.

Here at Ithumba, the new release site in northern Tsavo,

the dry season is starting to bite. Conditions are getting pretty tough.

Several weeks ago, a brand-new orphan herd was established here,

when six babies from Nairobi, led by their mini-matriarch, Wendi,

were moved here and teamed up with four older, more experienced

females from Voi.

I've come back today, to see if those ten chosen elephants

have begun to bond as a herd, and if the little ones are learning

the survival skills they need from the older ones.

You can just feel the sun dragging the moisture out of the ground.

The water holes have dried up. Take a look at the grass.

This is what the elephants feed on for much of the year

and there's no nutrients left in it, at all.

In fact, right now, at the height of the dry season,

the keepers will have to keep a very close eye on our youngsters

and, if they have to, they will provide them with extra food.

This site was selected because it used to support

thousands of wild elephants.

Most left long ago, scared off by years of poaching,

but it's much safer now and the hope is

that the orphans will help draw those wild herds back.

The keepers are helping our orphans explore this wilderness,

and it seems that, despite the harsh conditions,

they are coping extremely well.

Hello, Wendi. Hi, there, how are you?

We were worried that, when Wendi made her move from the orphanage,

where she was the mini-matriarch, that she might have been

completely thrown out of balance being mixed with older elephants.

But in fact, it's like it's given her the opportunity

to going back to being just a baby elephant.

She's relaxed, she's gentle and all she wants to do

is come up and say hello.

That's Napasha, that little bull. He seems to be

just a little bit, sort of, on the periphery.

THEY CONVERSE IN KENYAN

For a little male, it's quite normal for him to just be off to one side,

-that's just being a male.

-Yeah.

Elephant society is dominated

by close-knit groups of females.

Bulls lead much more independent lives.

So, as long as he's got plenty of food

and the protection of others nearby,

Napasha can just enjoy being a little boy.

The bigger elephants are really taking the littlies to their hearts.

In time, one of them will become the matriarch of this new herd,

but for now, they're all mucking in.

See how they use their trunks to reassure the younger ones,

in these strange new surroundings.

Our bigger elephants are very confident, the way they're

moving into this new bush,

and really, in a sense, creating a pathway for the little ones,

giving them the confidence to move in there.

But all this is just the beginning for our new herd.

There's still so much to learn before any of them become truly independent.

Back at the Nairobi nursery, the new arrival is in a bad way.

The infection from his wounds is poisoning his blood

and he's fading fast.

His wet trunk shows that pneumonia

has also taken hold.

The vet tries desperately to keep his heart and lungs working.

Head keeper Edwin knows that they've done all they can,

but it's not enough and they're unable to save the little elephant.

His death heralds the start

of a flood of rescues for the nursery.

Every one of these fragile babies

has lost its family and will die without help.

Daphne, Edwin and the rescue team work day and night

to save as many as they can.

In just three months, they managed to rescue six babies.

They're all under two years old - their most vulnerable age.

Sadly, only three survive to become part of the nursery's baby herd.

But one of them, to me at least, seems particularly special.

This adorable little elephant is the newest arrival here at the orphanage

and the sweetest little elephant I've ever seen.

He's called Jipe and he was rescued when he was just three weeks old.

He was found stuck in the mud on the banks of Lake Jipe, in Tsavo West.

There were lots of footprints around where he was stuck

which indicated that the herd

had tried very hard to get him out but, eventually, had to leave him.

He was rescued and airlifted here to the orphanage,

where he's settled in extremely well.

The reason he's adapted so well to his new life is that he's really

too young to remember anything else.

Jipe's one of the smallest of all the orphans here,

but that doesn't stop him being one of the most playful.

He's such a little character

that he's quickly becoming a firm favourite

with Edwin and the other keepers. And just like

any other young baby, when Jipe's not playing,

he's usually either trying to eat or sleep.

He likes his sleep, doesn't he, Edwin?

Yeah. He likes it, because he's still young.

So...when they're out in the wild with the mother, he has to sleep

for some time during the day.

But we are trying to restrict him from not sleeping

most of the time during the day, because he spends sleepless nights.

So he has to sleep less during the day,

then he can sleep more during the night.

-He looks so peaceful!

-Yeah.

'But he's still so vulnerable that it'll be many months

'before he's REALLY out of danger.'

It's getting late here at the new release site

in northern Tsavo and the orphans are heading home after a long, hot day

browsing in the arid bush.

The dry season is always tough for eles.

It's times like this that our orphans really need

the support of their keepers to survive.

At the moment, water's like gold dust

but the keepers fill a water hole every day,

guaranteeing the youngsters a good drink when they need it most.

There's no surprise who's the first to take his fill.

This is Napasha's party trick.

He puts his leg over the side

almost as if he's going to get right into the water.

See how he just loves that rough surface

of the concrete around the water.

Oh, my goodness!

Well, that is a first... and it would just have to be Napasha.

I have to say that the big girls are being very tolerant of his antics.

But I suppose it's just a case of boys being boys.

Although the older elephants are giving the entire herd

confidence in their new home, all the orphans are still very vulnerable,

and never more so than at night.

This stockade is home for these elephants now.

They're brought here each evening

because it's far too dangerous for them to be left out in the wild.

There's an electric fence around it so they can't get out,

predators can't get in,

and of course the keepers are close by.

They sleep right behind me here in these houses.

And our little ones are far too inexperienced.

In their own time, eventually,

they will determine when they go back to the wild,

but right now, they need to have the safety of this stockade.

Huddled together like this,

I'm sure they feel completely reassured knowing they have friends

they can rely on, no matter what the future throws at them.

For the moment at least, it's all quiet, just the sound of breathing...

..and little elephant snores.

THE ELEPHANTS SNORE

Although I've been in the north with the new herd, I've kept wondering

about Emily, the matriarch of the big group in the south of Tsavo.

Well, her keepers tell us that something's wrong.

Remember, we think Emily has reached a crossroads in her life.

She's facing a choice between staying as the leader of the orphan herd

and taking her final step back into the wild.

And it seems her dilemma is beginning to take its toll.

When the rest of the herd head out to the park,

Emily has been refusing to join them.

We've grown used to seeing a gentle, relaxed, responsible Emily.

But now it's as if she's rebelling.

She's behaving like a moody teenager and is throwing her weight around.

It's SO unlike her.

Luckily, Emily still trusts her keepers

and their authority helps to control her...

at least, for now.

Perhaps she's decided she's just had enough of looking after

the younger orphans and that she really wants a life of her own.

The rest of the herd also appear bewildered by her behaviour.

This is not what they're used to seeing from their matriarch.

When she eventually joins her adopted family, her mood hasn't lightened.

None of us know what Emily's feeling right now.

Her behaviour is so out of character,

but she's reaching adolescence, so it could be her hormones.

The only thing anyone is sure of is that she's unhappy.

Aitong has known Emily since they were babies.

She's concerned about her friend and reaches out to her.

Is Emily about to resolve her dilemma and leave them for good?

Here at the Nairobi nursery, our youngest baby, Jipe,

is exploring everything he finds, no matter how small.

Today's challenge is what to do with that trunk!

It contains over 100,000 muscle units

and using it skilfully takes years of practice.

Like all babies, this stage of his life is vital and everything

he learns brings him a step closer to being a normal wild elephant.

And there's one older baby

that's always very keen to help him with his lessons.

This elephant, would you believe, is Naserian.

The change is unbelievable.

This is the elephant that only a few months ago,

was a pushy little elephant.

Not only has she grown an incredible amount

but since the arrival of Jipe, she has become such a lovely, calm,

friendly elephant and has taken on the role of being big sis

to this little one who follows her everywhere.

It really is quite a transformation.

Oh, thanks, I was just saying something nice about you.

Do you mind?!

These two are so close.

Maybe Naserian remembers how it felt when she arrived alone and scared.

She even looks after Jipe when he gets into trouble,

trying to help him unsnag his blanket.

Elephants are naturally sociable

and she's really taken him under her wing.

It looks like this could be the start of a very long friendship.

Despite everything Naserian's been through,

she's still very loving and Jipe's adoring all the attention.

But there's a new arrival at the nursery that's not doing so well.

Lualeni is four months old

and has vivid memories of life with her family in the wild.

Everyone suspects she's suffered the horror of seeing her mother

being slaughtered by poachers.

It's an experience that she'll never forget

and it's left her deeply traumatised.

So while happy little Jipe and the other orphans

enjoy playing and being part of the baby herd...

..Lualeni stands all alone, lost in her grief.

It really does break your heart watching Lualeni.

You don't have to be an expert to see that that is a very sad

and lonely little elephant.

Elephants are just like children, they all react differently.

She might take months or even years

to recover from the sadness and the trauma.

But thankfully, she's in the care of the keepers.

They're like surrogate mothers to all the babies.

If anyone can help mend Lualeni's broken spirit, they can.

It's at times like this that you realise how important

the keepers are to these orphans.

Little Lualeni here hasn't bonded with any other elephant.

In fact, she pushes the other elephants away.

But she has bonded with Felix,

and it'll be keepers like Felix that get Lualeni through her sadness.

You just feel that this little elephant needs an awful lot of love,

affection and nurturing... until she gets over her grief.

The question is, will it be enough to help her keep her will to live?

In Tsavo, Emily's keepers

feel maybe the time has finally come

for her to exercise her independence.

She's been given the option of spending the night outside

the safety of the stockade.

The little ones still see Emily as a mother figure

and are feeling anxious. Now, they turn to each other for reassurance.

It could be that Emily's recent frustrations are simply because

her needs have changed and that's exactly what we've been waiting for.

The whole point of the project is to get the orphans to the stage

where they're confident enough to leave.

But the bottom line is, it's Emily's choice.

But she's not alone.

Her old friend, Aitong, has been allowed to stay with her,

so if they want a girls' night out, they can have it.

Will Emily feel brave enough to take this life-changing step

and follow the call of the wild?

Back in Nairobi, the nursery babies are just beginning

their long journey back into the wild.

But when you're desperately missing your mother,

every step is a very hard one.

AN ELEPHANT WAILS

That noise was coming from Lualeni.

Basically, she doesn't like to be pushed along

with the other elephants.

You can hear she's not happy about it.

But she's actually doing a lot better today than usual.

Lualeni is still so wrapped up in her grief,

she's not joining in with the other eles.

Everyone's doing their best to make her feel part of the gang.

But the rest of the baby herd are always on the lookout

for fun and games,

especially if it's at the expense of the neighbours.

This morning, we seem to be joined by a little group of wild warthogs.

This could be quite comical because sometimes,

the orphans like to have a little chase.

Definitely seeing those little warties off, ears out,

little bit of trumpeting. "I'm boss."

Those poor warthogs!

That is a very funny sight!

The eles seem to have lost the warties,

but it was a good, fun game and like with so many children's games,

there is a learning side to it as well.

These orphans are learning what other wild animals are in the bush

and that's really important.

You probably heard, they're also learning to trumpet,

which they seem to quite enjoy doing. Ooh!

And the fun doesn't stop when the warthogs run off.

Once a week, the babies get a big treat - a coconut oil rub.

It's good for their skin and they seem to love it.

This chaos is just too much for Lualeni at the moment,

but happy little Jipe throws himself into the thick of it,

with Naserian keeping a motherly eye on him

and loving the attention of a new little friend.

And once the babies are all oiled up, they get a dust bath.

It's not just an excuse for more mess, it serves a useful purpose.

In the wild, elephants use mud and dust as a sunscreen.

So this is a perfect way to learn one of the life skills they'll need

if they're ever going to survive back in the wild.

I've just received some horrific news

at the new release site in Tsavo

that puts the whole project in peril.

I woke up this morning feeling on top of the world, really excited

about seeing the elephants again and the keepers,

and one word has changed all that and that word is - rabies.

I'm heading up to park headquarters

to see Senior Warden Danny Woodley, who'll know what's going on.

Here's Danny, here.

Danny, how's it going?

I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. It sounds awful.

It's serious, we're just trying to contain the situation.

I mean, what actually happened?

Basically, the dog came in around midnight,

trotted up the road, broke through the wire in quite a manic state,

and literally launched its attack on the herd of elephants,

which were all bunched up into a corner.

The keepers started throwing stones at the dog,

who turned its attack on the keepers,

but they were able to kill it with sticks and bars.

-How many elephants affected?

-Five were bitten.

Rabies and elephants just don't seem to go together.

-Does anybody know anything about them at all?

-Not that we know of.

Daphne's speaking to people in England,

-South Africa, Australia, India... rabies experts.

-OK.

What we don't know yet is how far it's spread,

how many have been infected and how many haven't.

If the worst comes to the worst, we'll probably have to euthanise.

Having to put the elephants down is too awful to contemplate.

They've come so far.

I'm desperate to see for myself what's happening.

Here's Patrick, but no sign of the elephants.

I don't know whether that's good or bad but right now,

everything to me feels bad.

Hi, Patrick, how are you doing?

THEY SPEAK IN AFRICAN DIALECT

Two groups.

This thing just gets worse and worse.

What's happened is that the new herd have been split into two groups -

those that were attacked by the rabid dog and those that weren't.

And worryingly, little Wendi is one of those that's in danger.

And of course it's not just the elephants that are at risk,

some of the keepers may have been exposed to rabies too.

This is turning into a massive operation.

It involves the park's personnel, the keepers, the elephants...all of us.

The problem is, we can't be absolutely certain

who amongst the elephants or the people might have come into contact

with the rabies virus.

AMREF - the flying doctor - have flown up vaccine and serum

to treat the elephants, to treat the people.

Quite frankly, it is a terrifying situation and all of us are scared.

The serum should keep the keepers safe.

But no-one knows how effective the vaccine will be for the elephants.

Even if they're treated, we don't know if we'll be able to save them.

These are the five elephants that had contact with that rabid dog,

so they've been isolated from the others.

And the keepers who are with them, they've been vaccinated.

The hardest thing for me

is that I simply cannot go any closer than this.

We've spent months getting to know these elephants,

being accepted by these elephants, going out with them every day.

Of course, building trust with these particular elephants has been vital -

they were orphans, they've been traumatised.

Now suddenly, everybody's got to pull back.

And imagine how they're feeling.

They've only just begun to get used to being a family of ten.

Now, when they need each other most, they've had to be separated.

I mean, it just breaks your heart looking at little Wendi there.

She's one of my favourites

because she was the mini-matriarch at the orphanage in Nairobi

before the move up here,

and the thought that she might be infected with rabies is just...

it's almost unbearable.

The thought that any of them have got rabies...

because the reality of that is if we can't treat them,

they will have to be put down.

Tomorrow on Elephant Diaries,

Emily decides whether she's ready to go back to the wild.

The nursery babies take on Edwin and the keepers in the big match.

But will grief-stricken Lualeni be persuaded to join in?

And Wendi and the infected herd discover their fate.

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