Baby Elephant Hides With Zebras After Losing Her Mom

When tourists spotted a lone baby elephant wandering the predator-filled plains of Tsavo East National Park on November 4, 2025, they knew something was terribly wrong. Elephants never leave their young behind.

Trevor, a manager with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, led a search team across the Wangalla plains. After more than an hour of searching, they found her deep in the bush, huddling among a herd of zebras for protection.

The frightened calf was crying and pacing, desperately searching for her mother. The team searched extensively for her family, but no elephant herds were anywhere nearby.

Wildlife officials believe a pack of lions hunting buffalo the night before had scared off the calf's family. In the chaos, she became separated and wandered too far to find them again.

The fact that she survived the night was remarkable. A calf barely a week old would be easy prey for the lions, jackals, and hyenas that hunt after dark.

Rescuers transported the orphan by vehicle and helicopter to the Kaluku Field Headquarters and Neonate Nursery. The team named her Wangalla after the plains where she was found.

Sunny's Take

The sanctuary paired Wangalla with Misheck, an elephant keeper who joined the organization in 1998 when he was just 22 years old. Over nearly three decades, he'd become the go-to caregiver for the most vulnerable orphans.

Wangalla fell completely in love with Misheck, and he with her. He spent nearly every minute by her side, refusing to take a single day off for five months after her rescue.

Whenever anyone asked if he needed a break, Misheck always replied: "There is nowhere else I would rather be."

Now 10 months old, Wangalla still spends her evenings with Misheck, who hand-plucks fresh leaves for her at sunset. During the day, she plays among the birds at the sanctuary and dusts herself near Musumbi the hippo's pool.

She's also joined the social circle of older elephants at the sanctuary, walking with them and playfully running between their legs. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has rescued and rehabilitated orphaned elephants since 1977, operating the most successful program of its kind in the world.

When Wangalla is ready, she'll return to the wilds of Tsavo East where her story began, but for now, she's exactly where she needs to be.