Nothing is more precious to Loijuk the elephant than her family, especially now that she is creating her own.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Kenya saved the orphaned elephant in 2006 when she was discovered all by herself when she was just 5 months old.
SWT reared her by hand until she was old enough to go back into the wild.
Even though it has been a while, Loijuk and her human family remain close. Every month she returns to the sanctuary’s grounds for a visit.
But Loijuk shocked her previous caregivers by arriving with a baby elephant calf.
It was obvious that the happy mother elephant was keen to display her baby. The calf, later given the name Lili, was only a few hours old and likely had just been born the previous evening.
The generosity of the people who assisted Loijuk has never left her mind. Even the head keeper, Benjamin Kyalo, was permitted to share a special moment with her new calf.
According to Rob Brandford, executive director of SWT, “Benjamin was able to get close to Lili (who nestled into his legs), stroke her delicate newborn skin, and breathe into her trunk, thereby letting her know who he was via his scent,” Rob Brandford, executive director of SWT, told.
“Elephants have an incredible memory and sense of smell and our keepers will often breathe into the orphans’ trunks so they can recognize who they are.”
Here is a video of Loijuk and Lili’s heartfelt visit: