Baby ellie Phabeni gets taken cared of by HERD

Phabeni, an orphaned elephant, was rescued after a woman living near the Kruger National Park (KNP) woke up to find an elephant calf on her property. There was no sign of his mother or the herd. It is not known how the calf was displaced or how he came to be on the property, but he was likely separated from his herd through some event and was unable to find his way back or escape from the property due to the fencing around it.

With the help of officials from Nature Conservation at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, including the veterinarian who helped rescue Khanyisa, another baby rescued by HERD, the calf was transported to KNP’s Phabeni gate, where the HERD team was waiting for him. The calf was also named Phabeni, which means “shelter” in Sotho. HERD says that at the time of his rescue in November, Phabeni was estimated to be about four months old. He weighed just 122kg, a little bit less than what Khanyisa weighed at the time of her rescue, also at four months of age.

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“Fortunately, Phabeni started drinking from milk bottles right away, and he will hopefully begin gaining weight soon.” From the moment he arrived at the orphanage, Phabeni has shown himself to be a very feisty little one. “He knows what he wants, and he makes sure he gets it, even if it means clambering over a scale or climbing through his water trough. Within his first 24 hours at HERD, he had already knocked an adult man over, more than once!” HERD says.

Phabeni is currently staying in the orphanage, with Lammie, a companion sheep who also helped Khanyisa, by his side. “The carers are keeping a close eye on him, as orphans are at their most vulnerable during the first few weeks after their rescue. An orphan’s condition can take a turn for the worse at any moment, and the team knows to be prepared for anything. Phabeni has been through a very stressful and traumatising time, and he needs to recover both physically and emotionally,” HERD says. “We know the coming months will be filled with many sleepless nights and worry-filled days. But Phabeni deserves a second chance at life, and we will do everything possible to give him that chance.”