WATCH this dramatic footage as first-time mum, Soutine (aged 15) from The Artists family, rescues her three-week old calf from danger after he was swept away as the pair crossed the Ewaso Nyiro river in Northern Kenya. While this footage shows the strong bond between mother and calf, it is also a sad reminder of the impact poaching has had on elephant lives. In 2012, Soutine lost her mother Chagall to poachers. As our research has shown, the life of a wild orphan elephant is not an easy one. After the death of her mother, the young Soutine was forced to live on the periphery of the herd and raise her baby on her own without the guidance of an older female. Despite facing motherhood alone and at such a young age, she’s already proving to be a determined and courageous mother, so let’s hope she can lead her young son safely through the next crucial months of his life. Filmed and edited by Matt Brierley. #elephants #elephant #savetheelephants #poaching #rescue #samburu #kenya #orphans #river
Read more on our research into elephant orphans: https://goo.gl/HohYX3
Soutine’s calf after rescue. @Jane Wynyard