Episode 1 Elephant Diaries

We're going to take you on an incredible journey

deep in the heart of Africa.

It's a story of survival against all the odds,

with baby orphan elephants making their long and emotional journey

back to the wilds here in Kenya.

This is where the story starts for all our little orphans.

When each one of these adorable little babies is rescued,

there is just one aim, to keep them alive so that they can eventually go back into the wild.

But it is a long hard road for everyone.

Today on Elephant Diaries, I catch up with an old friend struggling with an identity crisis.

And I'm going to meet a little orphan who I never thought

would ever get over her grief, after losing her mum.

And a baby elephant is rescued after collapsing from malnutrition.

He's in a terrible state,

and the keepers desperately struggle to save his life.

We're back for a second series to take you behind the scenes of

an extraordinary orphanage devoted to saving the lives of baby elephants.

Every year, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues dozens of little wild orphans

from all over Kenya who've lost their mums in tragic circumstances, often because of conflict with man.

We're going to follow some of their stories and see just what it takes

to save these vulnerable and traumatised little babies,

and eventually get them back to the wild where they belong.

You're going to meet the big ones, aren't you?

I'll be following the stories of the older orphans at the two release sites in Tsavo National Park.

The elephants here range from two to nine years old,

and though they're still young, they're absolutely huge!

He could just throw me over, he could step on me, he could crush me, and yet he is so gentle.

I'm based up in the Kenyan capital with the tiny new arrivals.

Sadly, every one of the little elephants here arrived physically and emotionally traumatised.

Here in Nairobi is where the healing process begins.

Keepers like Edwin and his team devote their lives to trying to save these babies.

But despite their best efforts, and all the years of experience,

just under half of all the elephants rescued, sadly, don't make it.

If the elephants survive those first two years, then the Trust moves them

from Nairobi to here, Tsavo National Park, and what a place this is!

And it is here that they learn the skills which will enable them to go back to the wild.

Because the whole point of saving these elephants is to give them a second chance.

But it's not just about learning the rules of survival,

with so many young intelligent and playful animals together, it's also a huge amount of fun!

But ultimately, this is all about getting these little elephants to bond with each other.

They've all lost their real families, but now they have a new one, and they'll be friends for life.

All of the elephants here at the orphanage are under two years old,

and just like human babies under two, they are growing and changing all the time.

When I was here a year ago, there was a little elephant, oh, about,

about that size, who absolutely captured my heart.

She was a sweet little ele, but so obviously still very grief stricken

at the trauma of losing her family, and that little elephant was called Lualeni.

Lualeni was orphaned at just four months old and was deeply traumatised when she came in.

It's thought she saw her mum being killed by poachers.

Head Keeper Edwin kept a close watch over her,

but no-one was sure that she'd ever get over her loss.

In the last year, Lualeni has changed into a very different elephant.

She's grown so much. Hello, gorgeous!

Last time I saw her, she was so obviously

still grieving the loss of her family,

-so when did all that change?

-After about four months.

She changed. She started to play with the others.

She started to make close friendship with the keepers and now,

-at the moment, she is the most playful.

-Is she?

She is always the first to get into the mud and play with the others.

-She also has the company of Makenna here, who is the tiniest we have.

-So this one's called Makenna?

Yes. She's taking care of Makenna as a mother.

-That's incredible, isn't it?

-Yes.

And she seems so confident now.

She is actually the matriarch.

-She's the mini matriarch?

-Yes.

-So basically,

-she's the one who's taken on the role of mothering the little babies.

-Yes.

She's the one who is doing that, and she's doing it very well.

I always find it incredible how an elephant of, she must still be under two years old...

-She's 18 months.

-..18 months is mothering a little baby like this.

Yes, who is seven months...

-Seven months old.

-Yes.

Edwin, how do you feel about her becoming the mini matriarch?

I'm very happy about her because when she came in the first place,

I didn't think she'd make it.

And now she's a big mini matriarch which is, which makes us think

that we've done a very great job for having brought her all that way.

While Michaela catches up with the latest little matriarch in Nairobi,

I'm more than 300 kilometres south in Voi,

one of the two release sites in Tsavo National Park.

Tsavo's 20,000 square kilometres provide a perfect elephant habitat.

This is where the orphans eventually return to the wild,

and last time we were here, we saw this in action.

Emily, the 11-year-old matriarch of the herd, felt she was ready to go back to the wild.

It was very hard for her to leave all her friends at the stockades, but eventually the time was right

and she disappeared off into the bush.

With so much wilderness out there, no-one was sure they would ever see her again.

This is my first time back in Tsavo for over a year, and guess who's here to meet me?

What a treat.

It's Emily!

This is the biggest of the orphans.

An orphan that has gone back to the wild, and just the loveliest creature.

She's a giant, and yet she's only 12 years old...

gentle, powerful, wise.

So why is she back? Maybe because she's feeling hungry...

wants to see if there's a few titbits, because any minute now,

the other orphans are going to be here and you know what, I bet you anything you like, she knows that.

That rumble was probably a communication between her and the other elephants.

And here they come.

I wonder how they'll react when they see who's here.

HE LAUGHS

Out goes the trunk!

A little bit of a greeting.

It's almost as if they've come to pay their respects.

Just wonder... Oh, I love it!

And it's almost like hero worship at times,

the way these younger elephants just seem so chuffed to see Emily.

Those throaty sort of growls, those rumbles.

Talking to each other! How are you? How has it been? Long time no see!

She looks so healthy.

Look at her, look how fat she is!

And that, of course, would always be one of the worries...

can the orphans, when they go back to the wild, find enough food?

There's the proof!

OK, that's the difference. There go the orphans inside the wire enclosure.

An electric fence to keep them in.

Emily, obviously still outside.

She's back in the wild, has been for over a year,

obviously thriving, and why is she back here? Just to say hello,

old habits die hard, a little bit of extra food maybe she's hoping for?

But I have absolutely no worries about Emily. She's doing just fine.

Emily came to the orphanage when she was just four weeks old,

and now she's living as a wild elephant.

That's exactly what the Trust was set up to do, and it's down to the vision

and dedication of its founder, Dame Daphne Sheldrick.

She has over 50 years of experience in raising orphaned baby elephants,

and established the Trust to try and save as many of Kenya's wild elephants as possible.

She has a team of 49 highly skilled keepers who spend 24 hours a day

looking after these surprisingly fragile little creatures.

They help to give back to the babies the will to live,

when they are grieving for their lost families.

But the real key to piecing together the lives of these little elephants

is having the companionship of other orphans.

Look at this!

This is a really special little bond that has developed in recent weeks.

This is Lualeni, and this is Makenna, and they are never apart.

Wherever Lualeni goes, Makenna is right by her side and usually doing this.

Do you see? She's sucking Lualeni's ear.

Do you see this wet patch here...

this is where she's been permanently sucking.

Now, I think I'd find that slightly irritating after a while,

but this is such a special little elephant...

so patient and so loving.

You're a gorgeous elephant, you...

As for you, you're attached aren't you, to your friend?

Both Lualeni and Makenna saw their mothers killed by poachers,

so it's wonderful that they're able to give such comfort to each other.

The team here is always ready to take in any babies who need help.

Daphne's daughter, Angela, has just taken a call about a tiny elephant in distress,

and a full-scale rescue has been launched.

Zero two...

-Just hand them over...this...

-Yes.

A team of keepers from the Trust's stockade in Voi

have been sent to see if they can help the little calf.

It is too weak to stand, falling in

and out of consciousness.

Its mother is trying to revive it,

but the calf looks close to death.

The team will only intervene if there is no other hope for the baby,

so they are waiting to see what the mother is going to do.

The keepers seize their chance. Now, it's a race against time

to get him to the vet at the nearby stockade.

The poor little calf is severely malnourished and dehydrated.

The only hope is to try and get him to drink something.

He's offered rehydration fluids, and although desperately weak, he manages to suck.

The stockades here in Voi are set up to look after much older elephants.

This little bull urgently needs to go up to the orphanage in Nairobi,

where he can get intensive care in purpose-built stables.

But it's too late to fly him out today, so the elephant is moved

into one of the keeper's rooms for the night.

If he makes it to the morning, he'll be flown up to Daphne and her team, but at the moment,

things are not looking promising.

At the Nairobi orphanage, the babies are heading for their beds,

and it's little Makenna leading this mini stampede.

Each ele has their own individual stable.

A keeper sleeps in there with them, giving them comfort and milk throughout the night.

At seven months old, Makenna is one of the youngest elephants at the orphanage.

She lost her real mum when she was just 7 weeks old and was found wandering alone in the bush,

so she takes great comfort from knowing that her adoptive mum, Lualeni, is right next door.

Lualeni adores Makenna too, and there are perks to this job,

as she gets to help herself to some of her friend's supper.

But Makenna doesn't mind. She's completely exhausted

after a long and exciting day out in the bush.

And devoted head keeper Edwin is ready with her blanket.

Six years ago, he gave up a career as a priest

to look after these amazing little animals.

-This is a good baby!

-Yes.

-She's gone to sleep so quickly.

-Very fast.

-What's it like to share a stable with an elephant?

Well, it might look strange.

It might look funny, but er,

having gotten used to it, I find it normal, find it fun.

What did you think when they first asked you to stay with that elephant all night in the stable?

In the first place, I was so shy,

I didn't know what was going to happen in the night,

and so I was a bit worried and I didn't sleep,

keeping an eye, waiting to see what will come and what will happen.

But after about a week or so, I got used to it and it's normal.

Like a normal routine with a baby at home.

But that only lasts for about 18 months!

-You've been doing it for six or seven years!

-Yes.

-Do you get tired?

At some point you do. Yes.

Edwin, why do you give so much to these orphans?

It is because they need it. If you don't devote to them,

then they'll be stressed a lot and they might die.

So you have to commit yourself to them

in order for them to survive.

Look at this little one!

Don't you just want to hug her?

Look at the trunk, all wrapped round.

I wonder what they dream about.

Night, night.

Early morning in Tsavo, and the older orphans are up and about,

but has the tiny rescued calf made it though the night?

To everyone's surprise, he's alive,

and he's up on his feet! A plane has arrived to take him to Nairobi,

where he can get specialised treatment.

After an hour's flight,

it's only a short drive to the orphanage.

As soon as the little calf arrives,

everyone rushes to help carry him to the stable.

He's so weak he can barely stand on his own, let alone walk.

Daphne is on hand to meet the little chap as soon as he arrives.

She's a world expert on rearing baby elephants,

and immediately goes to work with some homeopathic medicine.

First, I'll give him some rescue remedy...

Daphne estimates the little calf to be about three weeks old.

He's been named Ndololo, after the area where he was found.

He's very dehydrated.

You can tell by the skin here. Erm...

The problem with these, these sort of babies, you know,

when you start rehydrating them, often their kidneys collapse.

So that's a problem, you know.

But we can just try lots of rehydration and just a little bit of milk to begin with,

because that can really mess up his stomach, and he can't afford to have a bout of diarrhoea.

He's in pretty poor shape.

I think probably one of the worst that we've had come in.

He's very, very dehydrated, emaciated, obviously a starvation victim,

hasn't had his mother's milk for quite a long time,

and he's got something seriously wrong with one eye and the other one doesn't look too good either,

so he's got problems with his eyes, definitely.

Ndololo will need round-the-clock care if he's to stand any chance of survival.

If the little calf makes it, then in two years,

he'll be coming back here to Tsavo National Park.

I'm on my way to Ithumba, the second of the two release sites.

It's over a year since I last saw the elephants, so I can't wait to see how they're doing.

Ithumba is around three hours' drive north from the Voi stockade where Ndololo was rescued,

and it's a more remote and wild part of Tsavo.

There's plenty of food up here, and less humans, elephant paradise.

It's always an early start for our eles here at Ithumba. In fact, it's a bit of a bun fight.

They can't wait to get out into all that bush to be wild elephants, and that's the whole point right now.

The 19 orphans that make up the Ithumba herd sleep in a stockade each night,

but daytime is all about learning the skills they need to survive on their own in the wild.

It's a well-established and happy family,

and everyone seems to know their place, but there's one elephant

who the keepers feel is having a struggle

with her position in the herd, and that's Wendi.

Hello, Wendi.

'I've known her for a couple of years now, and she was always a very confident elephant.

'Despite being rescued when she was just days old, she thrived in the Nairobi nursery,

'eventually becoming the mini-matriarch up there.

'When she was two years old, she was moved here to Ithumba

'to join some older orphans and start her reintroduction back to the wild.

'It all started very well, but in recent months something has changed.

'Ben, the head keeper, says despite being one of the most playful characters in the herd,

'Wendi has become a bit of a loner, preferring the company of humans.'

When Wendi first came here, when we first brought her from Nairobi, we thought that really,

it would take the pressure off her, as we were bringing bigger elephants to this area,

so they would be the matriarch. And that would just allow Wendi to be what she is, a young elephant.

She could just relax, no pressure, and we thought that would help her,

but it hasn't quite worked out like that. Instead of helping Wendi,

it appears almost as if it's put her nose out of joint, and for me, that's a reflection on

how intelligent these animals are. Because she doesn't really have a role now.

Instead of being a matriarch, she's suddenly sort of nothing within the group,

and what that seems to have done

is to make her turn back towards people, her human family.

Maybe because Wendi was rescued as a newborn

and never really knew life with her wild herd,

she is particularly people focussed. But in the wild,

female elephants live in herds.

Being a loner is not normally an option.

Well, one thing about Wendi, even if she's a little bit lonely right now,

she was always a tremendous character.

She's got a will of her own and I think, at some point,

further down the road, she will be a matriarch again.

'Wendi is just four years old, so it's not surprising

'that she's still a bit naughty, but this is exactly the time

'she should be turning away from the humans in her life,

'back towards her elephant family.'

I reckon it's probably time to get her back to the rest of the herd.

-Yes.

-Shall we see if we can encourage her back to...

-Yes.

..join the others?

That shows how incredibly important the keepers are still in the lives of these elephants,

particularly with Wendi, who wants to be apart from the herd, but has to keep in contact with them.

It's not safe for her to go wandering off in the bush.

It just amazes me how just a few little words, a bit of encouragement,

and a great big, extraordinary creature like that does what it is told!

I'm joining up with the rest of the herd to head out into the bush.

I want to see for myself just how bad Wendi's problem is.

Every day, the elephants here in Ithumba spend up to 12 hours learning the ropes

and getting used to living out in the wild.

They'll walk up to 10 kilometres each day,

with the keepers at their side.

The highlight of the day is their visit to the waterhole.

Tsavo has a reputation for being a tough, arid area,

and at times, the waterholes can dry up completely,

but not today.

The rains have transformed Ithumba. I mean, you've got butterflies,

and dragonflies, and our elephants are having a ball.

There's so much grass, and all the water as well.

It's just like kids at the beach, isn't it?

You can tell these elephants are having an absolute ball.

So where's Wendi while all this is going on?

She's doing exactly what the keepers have said,

standing all by herself on the sidelines.

She looks as if she's in a world of her own.

Wendi's obviously struggling with something,

but Daphne and the keepers look after the emotional,

as well as the physical, wellbeing of all the elephants,

so they're working hard to find a solution, but with an elephant as intelligent as Wendi,

this won't be easy.

Up in Nairobi, everybody always joins in the fun,

as this is a particularly happy, bonded herd.

They're really enjoying all that mud and water,

and it's actually the bigger ones that are really getting stuck in.

We talk about these larger elephants as being the matriarchs, the leaders,

and looking after the babies,

and we forget that they're babies too. None of them are older than two,

and although they take on that nurturing role, sometimes they just want to have fun.

They want to forget their responsibilities and have a laugh!

You've always got to be careful of the elephants behind you!

Oi, cheeky! And if you're a cameraman,

you have to be careful if there's an elephant in front of you!

Don't jump on me!

For new arrival Ndololo,

joining in the fun of life with the others is a long way off.

He's weak and vulnerable and still being kept in isolation.

Although his strength is slowly returning,

Daphne is becoming increasingly worried about his eyesight,

and the vet has been called.

The vet confirms everyone's worst fears.

Erm, unfortunately, one eye is blind, the other one looks like it's going blind.

So, we've got a blind elephant.

Next time on Elephant Diaries...

Ndololo undergoes treatment for his blindness.

But what will the future hold for this vulnerable elephant?

And the keepers come up with a radical solution

for Wendi's problem, but her reaction

takes everyone by surprise.

Here come the other elephants, and amongst them is Wendi.

This could be crucial.