Episode 4 Elephant Diaries

Previously on Elephant Diaries...

..Little orphan Chyulu was flown

to the Nairobi nursery after her mum was killed by poachers.

And changes at the nursery mean eight-month-old orphan Makena is about to have her world torn apart.

We're bringing you the stories of a unique group of baby elephants,

all of them rescued from the wild in Kenya, having lost their families.

Many of these little babies saw their mothers killed by poachers, and all arrived in a state of trauma,

at an orphanage run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

With the help of a team of 49 dedicated keepers, the aim for the trust's founder,

Dame Daphne Sheldrick, is to raise these vulnerable babies until they are ready to go back to the wild.

I'm following the lives of the older orphans at the two release sites in Tsavo National Park.

The orphans come here when they are two years old and spend their days

days learning the skills they need to eventually survive in the wild.

And, at eight years old, some of them are pretty huge and very impressive.

They're still babies at heart, mind you!

Here in the Nairobi nursery, Chyulu,

the newest arrival, is settling into the routine of daily life with her new family.

Chyulu maybe a newcomer here, but already she knows the milk routine.

And she's just as keen and eager as all the other orphans.

It's very obvious which one is

Chyulu's bottle because it has this teat.

It's hardly surprising she's so keen to get her bottle.

It's thought that she was without her mum for about two weeks and, in that time, she became very dehydrated,

and the tell-tale signs of that are these sunken cheeks.

You shouldn't be able to see the cheekbones on an elephant of this age.

So, we need to fatten you up a little bit,

fill that face out.

Of course, it's not just the milk that they love so much, it's also the comfort of the sucking.

OK. Finished! With the milk feed over, one of the other little eles,

eight-month-old Makena gets her comfort by sucking the ear of the herd's mini matriarch, Lualeni.

The rest of this naughty gang of seven orphans

are hoping there's a little bit more milk hiding among the empties.

But Makena's focus is firmly on her adoptive mother.

I can't believe this! Look, they have such a close bond, these two.

Makena and Lualeni have been such good friends for almost a year now.

But sadly, that can't continue.

The orphans only stay here till they are around two years old, and then they get moved on to the next stage.

It seems so incredibly sad.

All these orphans have already lost one mum,

and then many of them lose a very, very close friend like Lualeni.

You have to wonder how on earth Makena is going to cope when Lualeni goes to Ithumba.

And that move is going to happen very soon.

Although parting is tough, it's not forever, these two will be reunited in a year or so.

But in the meantime, Lualeni is guaranteed a warm welcome at the stockades down in Ithumba.

This is one of the two release sites in Tsavo, and it really is elephant paradise.

At two years old, Lualeni is ready to start learning about life back in the wild with the Ithumba herd.

And, of course, she already knows a few of the 22 elephants and the keepers from the nursery.

But best of all, she won't be leaving all on her own.

This elephant is Kora, a very handsome male elephant just under two years old.

Now Kora was found wandering all alone, emaciated, really, really thin,

no mother or herd to be seen, and it's thought the mother and possibly the rest of the herd was shot.

Kora actually has a bullet wound...

right underneath...

Right under the jaw, and it's thought that the bullet ricochet probably off the mother into that jaw.

It's taken quite a long time to heal and it's not fully healed yet.

Despite what he's been through, Kora is a lovely elephant and great friends with Lualeni.

He'll be making the journey with her when they leave in a few days' time.

Friendships are what see these little orphans through the tough times.

And to see how these bonds grow and develop, I am down in Tsavo with the older orphans.

It's early morning and they are heading out into the bush with the keepers for the day.

Unfortunately, there is one elephant who is always trailing along at the back.

Her name is Mwega, and she suffers from painful joints and a heart condition.

Although life isn't easy for her, the trust won't give up

and are working hard to ease her poor health.

And what is so lovely is that she is also looked after by her extended elephant family.

You can see that Mwega's stumbling there.

But she's got a friend and that is Sosien, probably the fattest of all of these elephants,

the greediest who normally is just so busy stuffing his face.

But, when Mwega's struggling, when she gets left behind, he just holds back.

He stops eating and it's almost as if you can just feel him reaching out to her and saying,

"It's OK, I'm here, you're not alone."

Mwega's very slow, isn't she?

Elephants are incredibly loyal friends,

and the bond between these two seems to go from strength to strength.

Here in Nairobi, the keepers play an equally important role

in the lives of the vulnerable younger orphans.

They give a huge amount of love and care to the babies.

But occasionally it's a case of tough medicine.

Poor Kora has had more than his share of pain and suffering,

but head keeper Edwin has to make sure his bullet wound is given the best possible chance of healing,

so it's time for his regular but painful treatment.

He's just so good when people are treating that wound.

This is Kelvin, our homeopathic doctor who's treating it with tea tree.

He's so gentle though.

Look at him. He's so obliging. You're a good boy, aren't you?

Now although that wound hasn't healed yet,

they have decided that he can be moved up to Ithumba.

He's quite big now and it's really time for him to go

into a place where he can get plenty of natural food in the wild.

So they are going to treat him up there and, hopefully, eventually, that wound will get better by itself.

Oh, look how sweet that is!

Lualeni, his mate, has come to make sure he's OK.

Kora's treatment will continue when he and Lualeni head off to Ithumba.

They have formed a lifelong friendship here

which will be a great comfort through the stress of the move.

It's the combination of intelligent caring animals and skilled devoted keepers

which makes the Sheldrick Trust such a unique environment for these orphans to grow up in.

Here in Voi, Mwega is making her way slowly back to her friends in the stockade.

The trust are always looking for ways to improve her health,

and one of the keepers is mixing up a formula to help ease her sore joints.

It's inevitable that Mwega is always going to be the last elephant back to the stockade,

she's much weaker than the others.

But Daphne has designed a cocktail of supplements that go in her milk

to try and bring her back, as best she can.

Now one of the problems that we know Mwega has got is a joint problem.

So she gets aloe vera and other supplements to help that, just a general tonic to pick her up.

But there's a chance that she's got a weak heart, maybe even a hole in the heart.

But she gets so much love and attention here, you really wouldn't know,

apart from the fact that she's a little thinner than the other elephants, a little slower.

With all the attention these elephants receive,

it's not surprising that even when they go back to living in the wild, they still like to keep in touch.

Round the back of the stockade, former resident Emily has come to pay a visit.

She was the matriarch here, but a year ago she and another elephant, Aitong, went back to the wild.

They've since been joined by some younger orphans from the stockades

and all are thriving in the wilds of Tsavo National Park.

These visits are all about saying hello to their old friends.

But they say elephants never forget, and it seems they have an ulterior motive!

Every evening, the orphans get some browse to snack on during the night.

Aitong obviously remembers this from her days at the stockade

and fancies some of those tasty branches for herself.

But it seems Emily can't resist the temptation either, and soon they are both tucking into stolen goods.

But the naughty pair have been spotted,

and head keeper Joseph tries to move the browse out of reach.

But, as soon as the coast is clear, they are up to their old tricks.

At the end of the day, no-one minds too much. Although Emily and her pals have left home,

helping out with a few extra rations when times are hard is what families are all about.

Including this little group, there are 20 ex-orphans who are now living in the wild.

They represent journey's end, but what about the two little ones in Nairobi

who are about to start the first leg of their journey back to the wild?

It's early morning at the Nairobi nursery, and the last day here for Lualeni and Kora.

After a night with their keepers, all the orphans are keen to meet up with their elephant friends again.

Makena is straight out to be with her adoptive mum, Lualeni.

These two are never apart, spending all day, every day, side by side.

New arrival Chyulu is greeted by two of the older girls, including Loijuk her neighbour and adoptive mum.

Mornings normally follow a predictable and well-organised routine.

Here at the nursery this morning, our little orphans are being a little bit mischievous.

Just like children, some mornings they wake up and that's it, they all go nicely off in a line.

Other mornings you have to encourage them a bit. Come on, you lot!

It isn't easy.

They're getting big these guys!

Come on!

Eventually one of the keepers leads Chyulu off and the rest of the group follow. All except Kora.

He's the oldest male here and just wants to do his own thing.

He's definitely growing out of nursery life and is ready for a bit more independence,

so it's down to head keeper Edwin to firmly get him moving.

The rest of the little orphan herd have made it out into the bush.

But naughty Kora has managed to give Edwin the slip.

Kora, Kora,

Kora, Kora.

He's nowhere to be seen.

Eventually one of the girls, Sian, decides to go into the bush and find Kora herself.

Kora, Kora, Kora...

Sian is going for Kora.

Sian, Kora.

Kora, Kora, Kora!

It takes a few minutes but she eventually emerges triumphant with this naughty boy in tow!

At last the whole group are on the move again, but they are still in a frisky mood.

Once they start to play, they don't want to stop. Yeah.

The little ones here see the humans as part of their extended family and some of the young males

are taking their chance to practise a bit of charging, including Kora who is getting rather big!

Sadly, this is the last time that this herd will be together

as tomorrow Lualeni and Kora will be leaving for Tsavo National Park and life for them will never be the same.

When they leave the nursery and move to the Tsavo release sites, they'll be in with the big ones,

and our little orphans will experience some very significant changes,

especially when it comes to their relationship with the keepers.

It's very evident the difference in how the keepers relate to the elephants here in Voi,

and how they do in Nairobi, because these, as you can see, are much, much bigger creatures.

So, not only are they beginning the process of separation, in distancing themselves from the elephants,

but potentially these are hugely dangerous creatures,

and I can't quite believe that I'm standing right up against the backside of such a massive creature

and feeling really pretty comfortable. And you can sense that,

and the elephants can sense it too because they are very smart

and they know now their direction is turning inwards and relating to other elephants, not to people.

So a hand will reach out, an elephant will want to greet you.

You let it, and then you just stop.

This gradual separation is particularly important when there are wild elephants around.

The recent rains have drawn lots of them into the area

and the orphans need to make the most of these opportunities to interact with wild herds.

It's a deliberate move on the part of the keepers to stay back like this.

They want the elephants to start taking control of their own lives.

There's so much to be learned from these wild herds, such as where to find food and water in tough times.

And when they are ready to go back to the wild, they may even join up with these herds.

For the Tsavo orphans, it's all about saying hello!

Here in Nairobi, all anyone can think about is the imminent goodbyes.

Well, it's nearing three o'clock which is the time that all these orphans normally get a bottle.

They are going to get their milk, but they are being led back to the stables where there are two trucks.

Now those trucks are going to carry Lualeni and Kora off to Ithumba,

and obviously to do that we need to get the elephants into the trucks.

So, at milk time, they are going to be tempted in with a bottle, just as a rehearsal for tomorrow.

It really is quite extraordinary to see Lualeni.

You can tell she is very subdued.

Look how far back she is from the rest of the herd.

Normally she's right there being the mini matriarch making sure they're all together.

But she is definitely lagging behind.

She is an intelligent elephant.

She knows there is a change in the air and she is not entirely happy about it.

Well, look at that. Makena has gone in the truck but Lualeni is having none of it.

This is as far as she's ever got, and you can hear from the other truck, Kora is trumpeting. He's not happy.

Now obviously it's a vital part of the move to get these two elephants into the back of these trucks.

Lualeni just is not interested.

She is not going into that truck.

She's seen other elephants go into the truck and not come back,

and she clearly doesn't want to be one of them.

Lualeni seizes a chance to give the keepers the slip.

She tries to hide in Makena's stable.

But she's soon spotted and persuaded to return to the trucks.

Edwin, things aren't going much better with Kora then?

Not all that better!

They are just not budging, are they?

-They are getting as far as this door and that is it.

-Not yet.

He wants that milk so badly.

I've seen other moves.

And usually there's one elephant that you have a problem with.

But is this the first time you've had a problem with both of the elephants you are trying to move?

Yes, this is the first time we've got all not getting in.

-So this is the worst it's ever been, is it?

-Yeah.

They're just like toddlers, they can be so stubborn at this age.

If this doesn't happen tonight, tomorrow is going to be such a stressful morning

because the only way to get the elephants in, if they don't come in by themselves, is to use force.

Straps are going to have to be used and a lot of manpower to push those elephants in.

Come on, Kora,

ELEPHANTS GROWL GENTLY

Listen to that rumble.

Kora, come, come.

Edwin, this doesn't look like it's going to happen, does it?

Yes, it seems not to be working.

Well, I'll tell you something.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning!

It's time to admit defeat and let these two go back to their friends at the stables.

But not every goodbye is as tough as tomorrow's will be.

In Voi, an orphan female called Illengwesi has taken her chance to go off with some wild elephants.

And head keeper Joseph wants to make sure that she is OK.

Does this happen often?

Yes, it happens often. And when they are being integrated back into the wild, that's what they do.

They go maybe for one or two days and then they come back.

Slowly they go with the wild ones and where they can be accommodated quite well

and they think that they will be OK, they just go with them and stay out.

-OK. Let's go and see if she's OK.

-Yeah.

After half an hour of searching, news comes through from some of the other keepers

that Illengwesi has left the wild herd and been picked up by Emily and her friends.

There they are.

This is a real treat, a little jaunt. A night out on the town!

It's really very nice for Illengwesi and it's a surprising encounter.

But it's all another step back into the wild, little by little, because she's how old?

Illengwesi's seven years old, which is a good age of her joining Emily in the wild.

And I think she'll do quite a lot.

Illengwesi!

OK, I'm going to come up out of the hatch.

-Illengwesi.

-Hello, Illengwesi.

Illengwesi.

Yes, she'll be OK.

But that's so nice, isn't it?

We're actually seeing another step, the transition for these younger generation.

And it isn't just make or break.

They don't just suddenly go off, all at once. It's little by little.

-Getting a bit of experience and they know can always come back to you guys.

-Yes.

For Emily, taking in new orphans is a clever way of slowly but surely building her own herd,

creating a family to replace the one she lost, and helping to ensure

they all have the best chance of survival in the wild.

Hello, Emily.

Hello, girly.

It's almost as if Emily is just coming to you and saying to you,

"Don't worry, Illengwesi is safe. We're back in the wild, job done."

You can see how intelligent they are.

-Are you happy to hand over responsibility to Emily?

-Yes, very, very happy.

Great! Let's head home before it gets too dark.

It's a very early start for everyone in Nairobi.

It's five o'clock in the morning, everybody's up and everybody is set for Kora and Lualeni's big move.

Now, although the next half hour could be a little bit stressful,

this is such an exciting time for both of the elephants.

They've made it through the nursery, this is graduation day.

That's the bigger picture. The more immediate picture is, I hope we can get them into the trucks!

In the stables, there's just time for Lualeni to say a last goodbye

to a sleepy Makena who's blissfully unaware of what's about to happen.

The orphanage's founder Daphne finds saying goodbye

to her elephants too emotional, so she keeps watch from a distance.

And now, time's up for Lualeni, and she's led towards the trucks.

Because yesterday's rehearsal didn't go as smoothly as everybody would have liked,

they are going to use these which will make it a little bit stressful.

These are going to go round the elephants.

People are going to pull from one side and other people are going to push from the back.

So far so good.

We've got Lualeni this far.

It's OK, sweetie, shhh, shhh...

The guys are in front with a bottle of milk trying to...

LUALENI CRIES OUT

This is when it starts to get a little bit stressful.

Lualeni does not want to go into the back of the truck.

She's trumpeting. That's going to stress Kora out.

She's nearly in.

Push, push. Poor little Lualeni. She does not want to go in.

You can see it's very, very stressful for her.

My heart is pounding.

But at least she's safe inside the truck now!

Now it's Kora's turn.

If they can just get him that little bit closer.

Pushing from this distance is obviously going to be quite tough.

He's a slightly bigger, stronger elephant than Lualeni.

That's as close as he's going to go willingly, so the time has come...

KORA CRIES OUT

You can see Kora in there.

Oh, it's such a shame, the ears are going out, the trunk's going up.

He doesn't know what's going on.

This is such a time of real mixed emotions when you're watching all this go on.

You know, it's stressful, it's babies that you've watched grow up

going through stress and being so frightened.

And yet, of course they're going on to such a good place.

But it's also when you realise that none of this should be happening.

These elephants shouldn't be orphaned.

They shouldn't have to go through all this.

They should be with their mothers, safe in a herd.

Kora and Lualeni are in the trucks.

There's no trumpeting so they've obviously resigned themselves.

They're going on their journey and I'm certainly very sad to say goodbye to them.

Lualeni, I've watched just develop so much

and she's in there and I wish her all the best!

The whole of their human family have turned out to see these much loved babies on their way to a new life.

Back in her stable, Makena has heard Lualeni and Kora and is very anxious.

Next time on Elephant Diaries,

how will Lualeni and Kora cope when they arrive in Ithumba?

And how will Makena cope without her adoptive mum?