0:00:02 > 0:00:04We're going to take you on an incredible journey
0:00:04 > 0:00:06deep in the heart of Africa.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's a story of survival against all the odds,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12with baby orphan elephants making their long and emotional journey
0:00:12 > 0:00:15back to the wilds here in Kenya.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21This is where the story starts for all our little orphans.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24When each one of these adorable little babies is rescued,
0:00:24 > 0:00:31there is just one aim, to keep them alive so that they can eventually go back into the wild.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33But it is a long hard road for everyone.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44Today on Elephant Diaries, I catch up with an old friend struggling with an identity crisis.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And I'm going to meet a little orphan who I never thought
0:00:47 > 0:00:49would ever get over her grief, after losing her mum.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54And a baby elephant is rescued after collapsing from malnutrition.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56He's in a terrible state,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and the keepers desperately struggle to save his life.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20We're back for a second series to take you behind the scenes of
0:01:20 > 0:01:25an extraordinary orphanage devoted to saving the lives of baby elephants.
0:01:25 > 0:01:31Every year, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues dozens of little wild orphans
0:01:31 > 0:01:39from all over Kenya who've lost their mums in tragic circumstances, often because of conflict with man.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43We're going to follow some of their stories and see just what it takes
0:01:43 > 0:01:46to save these vulnerable and traumatised little babies,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and eventually get them back to the wild where they belong.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56You're going to meet the big ones, aren't you?
0:01:56 > 0:02:01I'll be following the stories of the older orphans at the two release sites in Tsavo National Park.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04The elephants here range from two to nine years old,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08and though they're still young, they're absolutely huge!
0:02:08 > 0:02:15He could just throw me over, he could step on me, he could crush me, and yet he is so gentle.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20I'm based up in the Kenyan capital with the tiny new arrivals.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26Sadly, every one of the little elephants here arrived physically and emotionally traumatised.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31Here in Nairobi is where the healing process begins.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Keepers like Edwin and his team devote their lives to trying to save these babies.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40But despite their best efforts, and all the years of experience,
0:02:40 > 0:02:45just under half of all the elephants rescued, sadly, don't make it.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50If the elephants survive those first two years, then the Trust moves them
0:02:50 > 0:02:54from Nairobi to here, Tsavo National Park, and what a place this is!
0:02:54 > 0:02:59And it is here that they learn the skills which will enable them to go back to the wild.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Because the whole point of saving these elephants is to give them a second chance.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11But it's not just about learning the rules of survival,
0:03:11 > 0:03:17with so many young intelligent and playful animals together, it's also a huge amount of fun!
0:03:26 > 0:03:30But ultimately, this is all about getting these little elephants to bond with each other.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36They've all lost their real families, but now they have a new one, and they'll be friends for life.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41All of the elephants here at the orphanage are under two years old,
0:03:41 > 0:03:47and just like human babies under two, they are growing and changing all the time.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50When I was here a year ago, there was a little elephant, oh, about,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54about that size, who absolutely captured my heart.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58She was a sweet little ele, but so obviously still very grief stricken
0:03:58 > 0:04:03at the trauma of losing her family, and that little elephant was called Lualeni.
0:04:05 > 0:04:11Lualeni was orphaned at just four months old and was deeply traumatised when she came in.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It's thought she saw her mum being killed by poachers.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Head Keeper Edwin kept a close watch over her,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22but no-one was sure that she'd ever get over her loss.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30In the last year, Lualeni has changed into a very different elephant.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34She's grown so much. Hello, gorgeous!
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Last time I saw her, she was so obviously
0:04:38 > 0:04:40still grieving the loss of her family,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- so when did all that change? - After about four months.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46She changed. She started to play with the others.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50She started to make close friendship with the keepers and now,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- at the moment, she is the most playful.- Is she?
0:04:53 > 0:04:57She is always the first to get into the mud and play with the others.
0:04:57 > 0:05:04- She also has the company of Makenna here, who is the tiniest we have.- So this one's called Makenna?
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Yes. She's taking care of Makenna as a mother.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- That's incredible, isn't it?- Yes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And she seems so confident now.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14She is actually the matriarch.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- She's the mini matriarch?- Yes. - So basically,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20- she's the one who's taken on the role of mothering the little babies.- Yes.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23She's the one who is doing that, and she's doing it very well.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28I always find it incredible how an elephant of, she must still be under two years old...
0:05:28 > 0:05:32- She's 18 months.- ..18 months is mothering a little baby like this.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Yes, who is seven months...
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- Seven months old.- Yes.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Edwin, how do you feel about her becoming the mini matriarch?
0:05:40 > 0:05:44I'm very happy about her because when she came in the first place,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I didn't think she'd make it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51And now she's a big mini matriarch which is, which makes us think
0:05:51 > 0:05:55that we've done a very great job for having brought her all that way.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00While Michaela catches up with the latest little matriarch in Nairobi,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I'm more than 300 kilometres south in Voi,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06one of the two release sites in Tsavo National Park.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14Tsavo's 20,000 square kilometres provide a perfect elephant habitat.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26This is where the orphans eventually return to the wild,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29and last time we were here, we saw this in action.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38Emily, the 11-year-old matriarch of the herd, felt she was ready to go back to the wild.
0:06:38 > 0:06:44It was very hard for her to leave all her friends at the stockades, but eventually the time was right
0:06:44 > 0:06:49and she disappeared off into the bush.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53With so much wilderness out there, no-one was sure they would ever see her again.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02This is my first time back in Tsavo for over a year, and guess who's here to meet me?
0:07:03 > 0:07:05What a treat.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10It's Emily!
0:07:12 > 0:07:15This is the biggest of the orphans.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20An orphan that has gone back to the wild, and just the loveliest creature.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26She's a giant, and yet she's only 12 years old...
0:07:26 > 0:07:30gentle, powerful, wise.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33So why is she back? Maybe because she's feeling hungry...
0:07:33 > 0:07:39wants to see if there's a few titbits, because any minute now,
0:07:39 > 0:07:44the other orphans are going to be here and you know what, I bet you anything you like, she knows that.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49That rumble was probably a communication between her and the other elephants.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51And here they come.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I wonder how they'll react when they see who's here.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58HE LAUGHS
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Out goes the trunk!
0:08:01 > 0:08:03A little bit of a greeting.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07It's almost as if they've come to pay their respects.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Just wonder... Oh, I love it!
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And it's almost like hero worship at times,
0:08:21 > 0:08:26the way these younger elephants just seem so chuffed to see Emily.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Those throaty sort of growls, those rumbles.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Talking to each other! How are you? How has it been? Long time no see!
0:08:39 > 0:08:42She looks so healthy.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Look at her, look how fat she is!
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And that, of course, would always be one of the worries...
0:08:52 > 0:08:56can the orphans, when they go back to the wild, find enough food?
0:08:56 > 0:08:58There's the proof!
0:09:01 > 0:09:07OK, that's the difference. There go the orphans inside the wire enclosure.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09An electric fence to keep them in.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Emily, obviously still outside.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14She's back in the wild, has been for over a year,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19obviously thriving, and why is she back here? Just to say hello,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23old habits die hard, a little bit of extra food maybe she's hoping for?
0:09:23 > 0:09:29But I have absolutely no worries about Emily. She's doing just fine.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Emily came to the orphanage when she was just four weeks old,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and now she's living as a wild elephant.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44That's exactly what the Trust was set up to do, and it's down to the vision
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and dedication of its founder, Dame Daphne Sheldrick.
0:09:47 > 0:09:53She has over 50 years of experience in raising orphaned baby elephants,
0:09:53 > 0:10:00and established the Trust to try and save as many of Kenya's wild elephants as possible.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05She has a team of 49 highly skilled keepers who spend 24 hours a day
0:10:05 > 0:10:09looking after these surprisingly fragile little creatures.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12They help to give back to the babies the will to live,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16when they are grieving for their lost families.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21But the real key to piecing together the lives of these little elephants
0:10:21 > 0:10:25is having the companionship of other orphans.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26Look at this!
0:10:26 > 0:10:31This is a really special little bond that has developed in recent weeks.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36This is Lualeni, and this is Makenna, and they are never apart.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Wherever Lualeni goes, Makenna is right by her side and usually doing this.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Do you see? She's sucking Lualeni's ear.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Do you see this wet patch here...
0:10:46 > 0:10:49this is where she's been permanently sucking.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Now, I think I'd find that slightly irritating after a while,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56but this is such a special little elephant...
0:10:56 > 0:10:58so patient and so loving.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03You're a gorgeous elephant, you...
0:11:03 > 0:11:08As for you, you're attached aren't you, to your friend?
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Both Lualeni and Makenna saw their mothers killed by poachers,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18so it's wonderful that they're able to give such comfort to each other.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23The team here is always ready to take in any babies who need help.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29Daphne's daughter, Angela, has just taken a call about a tiny elephant in distress,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and a full-scale rescue has been launched.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Zero two...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- Just hand them over...this...- Yes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42A team of keepers from the Trust's stockade in Voi
0:11:42 > 0:11:46have been sent to see if they can help the little calf.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It is too weak to stand, falling in
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and out of consciousness.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Its mother is trying to revive it,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56but the calf looks close to death.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The team will only intervene if there is no other hope for the baby,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08so they are waiting to see what the mother is going to do.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17The keepers seize their chance. Now, it's a race against time
0:12:17 > 0:12:20to get him to the vet at the nearby stockade.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The poor little calf is severely malnourished and dehydrated.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41The only hope is to try and get him to drink something.
0:12:41 > 0:12:47He's offered rehydration fluids, and although desperately weak, he manages to suck.
0:12:51 > 0:12:57The stockades here in Voi are set up to look after much older elephants.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01This little bull urgently needs to go up to the orphanage in Nairobi,
0:13:01 > 0:13:06where he can get intensive care in purpose-built stables.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10But it's too late to fly him out today, so the elephant is moved
0:13:10 > 0:13:13into one of the keeper's rooms for the night.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19If he makes it to the morning, he'll be flown up to Daphne and her team, but at the moment,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22things are not looking promising.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36At the Nairobi orphanage, the babies are heading for their beds,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40and it's little Makenna leading this mini stampede.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Each ele has their own individual stable.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48A keeper sleeps in there with them, giving them comfort and milk throughout the night.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00At seven months old, Makenna is one of the youngest elephants at the orphanage.
0:14:00 > 0:14:06She lost her real mum when she was just 7 weeks old and was found wandering alone in the bush,
0:14:06 > 0:14:13so she takes great comfort from knowing that her adoptive mum, Lualeni, is right next door.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Lualeni adores Makenna too, and there are perks to this job,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22as she gets to help herself to some of her friend's supper.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34But Makenna doesn't mind. She's completely exhausted
0:14:34 > 0:14:37after a long and exciting day out in the bush.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47And devoted head keeper Edwin is ready with her blanket.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Six years ago, he gave up a career as a priest
0:14:50 > 0:14:54to look after these amazing little animals.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- This is a good baby!- Yes. - She's gone to sleep so quickly.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09- Very fast.- What's it like to share a stable with an elephant?
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Well, it might look strange.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It might look funny, but er,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20having gotten used to it, I find it normal, find it fun.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25What did you think when they first asked you to stay with that elephant all night in the stable?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29In the first place, I was so shy,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I didn't know what was going to happen in the night,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37and so I was a bit worried and I didn't sleep,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41keeping an eye, waiting to see what will come and what will happen.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45But after about a week or so, I got used to it and it's normal.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Like a normal routine with a baby at home.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51But that only lasts for about 18 months!
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- You've been doing it for six or seven years!- Yes.- Do you get tired?
0:15:55 > 0:15:58At some point you do. Yes.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Edwin, why do you give so much to these orphans?
0:16:03 > 0:16:09It is because they need it. If you don't devote to them,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12then they'll be stressed a lot and they might die.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17So you have to commit yourself to them
0:16:17 > 0:16:20in order for them to survive.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Look at this little one!
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Don't you just want to hug her?
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Look at the trunk, all wrapped round.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39I wonder what they dream about.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Night, night.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Early morning in Tsavo, and the older orphans are up and about,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02but has the tiny rescued calf made it though the night?
0:17:09 > 0:17:12To everyone's surprise, he's alive,
0:17:12 > 0:17:17and he's up on his feet! A plane has arrived to take him to Nairobi,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20where he can get specialised treatment.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35After an hour's flight,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38it's only a short drive to the orphanage.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49As soon as the little calf arrives,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52everyone rushes to help carry him to the stable.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58He's so weak he can barely stand on his own, let alone walk.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Daphne is on hand to meet the little chap as soon as he arrives.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12She's a world expert on rearing baby elephants,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and immediately goes to work with some homeopathic medicine.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20First, I'll give him some rescue remedy...
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Daphne estimates the little calf to be about three weeks old.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31He's been named Ndololo, after the area where he was found.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33He's very dehydrated.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39You can tell by the skin here. Erm...
0:18:39 > 0:18:44The problem with these, these sort of babies, you know,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48when you start rehydrating them, often their kidneys collapse.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51So that's a problem, you know.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57But we can just try lots of rehydration and just a little bit of milk to begin with,
0:18:57 > 0:19:04because that can really mess up his stomach, and he can't afford to have a bout of diarrhoea.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09He's in pretty poor shape.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14I think probably one of the worst that we've had come in.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19He's very, very dehydrated, emaciated, obviously a starvation victim,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22hasn't had his mother's milk for quite a long time,
0:19:22 > 0:19:29and he's got something seriously wrong with one eye and the other one doesn't look too good either,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33so he's got problems with his eyes, definitely.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39Ndololo will need round-the-clock care if he's to stand any chance of survival.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45If the little calf makes it, then in two years,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48he'll be coming back here to Tsavo National Park.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53I'm on my way to Ithumba, the second of the two release sites.
0:19:53 > 0:20:00It's over a year since I last saw the elephants, so I can't wait to see how they're doing.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07Ithumba is around three hours' drive north from the Voi stockade where Ndololo was rescued,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11and it's a more remote and wild part of Tsavo.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15There's plenty of food up here, and less humans, elephant paradise.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22It's always an early start for our eles here at Ithumba. In fact, it's a bit of a bun fight.
0:20:22 > 0:20:28They can't wait to get out into all that bush to be wild elephants, and that's the whole point right now.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35The 19 orphans that make up the Ithumba herd sleep in a stockade each night,
0:20:35 > 0:20:41but daytime is all about learning the skills they need to survive on their own in the wild.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45It's a well-established and happy family,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49and everyone seems to know their place, but there's one elephant
0:20:49 > 0:20:51who the keepers feel is having a struggle
0:20:51 > 0:20:55with her position in the herd, and that's Wendi.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Hello, Wendi.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05'I've known her for a couple of years now, and she was always a very confident elephant.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11'Despite being rescued when she was just days old, she thrived in the Nairobi nursery,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14'eventually becoming the mini-matriarch up there.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18'When she was two years old, she was moved here to Ithumba
0:21:18 > 0:21:24'to join some older orphans and start her reintroduction back to the wild.
0:21:24 > 0:21:30'It all started very well, but in recent months something has changed.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39'Ben, the head keeper, says despite being one of the most playful characters in the herd,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43'Wendi has become a bit of a loner, preferring the company of humans.'
0:21:43 > 0:21:49When Wendi first came here, when we first brought her from Nairobi, we thought that really,
0:21:49 > 0:21:54it would take the pressure off her, as we were bringing bigger elephants to this area,
0:21:54 > 0:22:00so they would be the matriarch. And that would just allow Wendi to be what she is, a young elephant.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04She could just relax, no pressure, and we thought that would help her,
0:22:04 > 0:22:09but it hasn't quite worked out like that. Instead of helping Wendi,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14it appears almost as if it's put her nose out of joint, and for me, that's a reflection on
0:22:14 > 0:22:18how intelligent these animals are. Because she doesn't really have a role now.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23Instead of being a matriarch, she's suddenly sort of nothing within the group,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and what that seems to have done
0:22:25 > 0:22:30is to make her turn back towards people, her human family.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Maybe because Wendi was rescued as a newborn
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and never really knew life with her wild herd,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40she is particularly people focussed. But in the wild,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42female elephants live in herds.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Being a loner is not normally an option.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Well, one thing about Wendi, even if she's a little bit lonely right now,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55she was always a tremendous character.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59She's got a will of her own and I think, at some point,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02further down the road, she will be a matriarch again.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07'Wendi is just four years old, so it's not surprising
0:23:07 > 0:23:11'that she's still a bit naughty, but this is exactly the time
0:23:11 > 0:23:14'she should be turning away from the humans in her life,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16'back towards her elephant family.'
0:23:16 > 0:23:21I reckon it's probably time to get her back to the rest of the herd.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25- Yes.- Shall we see if we can encourage her back to...- Yes.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27..join the others?
0:23:36 > 0:23:41That shows how incredibly important the keepers are still in the lives of these elephants,
0:23:41 > 0:23:47particularly with Wendi, who wants to be apart from the herd, but has to keep in contact with them.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50It's not safe for her to go wandering off in the bush.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54It just amazes me how just a few little words, a bit of encouragement,
0:23:54 > 0:24:00and a great big, extraordinary creature like that does what it is told!
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I'm joining up with the rest of the herd to head out into the bush.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11I want to see for myself just how bad Wendi's problem is.
0:24:17 > 0:24:23Every day, the elephants here in Ithumba spend up to 12 hours learning the ropes
0:24:23 > 0:24:26and getting used to living out in the wild.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28They'll walk up to 10 kilometres each day,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31with the keepers at their side.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37The highlight of the day is their visit to the waterhole.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Tsavo has a reputation for being a tough, arid area,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and at times, the waterholes can dry up completely,
0:24:44 > 0:24:45but not today.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51The rains have transformed Ithumba. I mean, you've got butterflies,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and dragonflies, and our elephants are having a ball.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57There's so much grass, and all the water as well.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01It's just like kids at the beach, isn't it?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05You can tell these elephants are having an absolute ball.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29So where's Wendi while all this is going on?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32She's doing exactly what the keepers have said,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35standing all by herself on the sidelines.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39She looks as if she's in a world of her own.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Wendi's obviously struggling with something,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46but Daphne and the keepers look after the emotional,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50as well as the physical, wellbeing of all the elephants,
0:25:50 > 0:25:55so they're working hard to find a solution, but with an elephant as intelligent as Wendi,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57this won't be easy.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06Up in Nairobi, everybody always joins in the fun,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09as this is a particularly happy, bonded herd.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31They're really enjoying all that mud and water,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35and it's actually the bigger ones that are really getting stuck in.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39We talk about these larger elephants as being the matriarchs, the leaders,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and looking after the babies,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47and we forget that they're babies too. None of them are older than two,
0:26:47 > 0:26:53and although they take on that nurturing role, sometimes they just want to have fun.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57They want to forget their responsibilities and have a laugh!
0:27:04 > 0:27:08You've always got to be careful of the elephants behind you!
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Oi, cheeky! And if you're a cameraman,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15you have to be careful if there's an elephant in front of you!
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Don't jump on me!
0:27:23 > 0:27:27For new arrival Ndololo,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31joining in the fun of life with the others is a long way off.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35He's weak and vulnerable and still being kept in isolation.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Although his strength is slowly returning,
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Daphne is becoming increasingly worried about his eyesight,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and the vet has been called.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05The vet confirms everyone's worst fears.
0:28:05 > 0:28:11Erm, unfortunately, one eye is blind, the other one looks like it's going blind.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17So, we've got a blind elephant.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Next time on Elephant Diaries...
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Ndololo undergoes treatment for his blindness.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27But what will the future hold for this vulnerable elephant?
0:28:27 > 0:28:30And the keepers come up with a radical solution
0:28:30 > 0:28:32for Wendi's problem, but her reaction
0:28:32 > 0:28:35takes everyone by surprise.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Here come the other elephants, and amongst them is Wendi.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39This could be crucial.