This Lonely Baby Elephant Needed Friendship And Found It In The Most Unlikely Place
By
Abdul Waha
In Africa, animals live at risk of being poached. Animal sanctuaries have been created to help deal with the repercussions of baby animals left orphaned by poachers. These orphaned animals are taken in by dedicated people who raise them back to health, with the goal of reintroducing them into the wild. Sometimes, poaching is not the only reason animals are left orphaned. If an animal is too sick to survive, the herd often rejects them leaving them to fend for themselves.
The Reteti Elephant sanctuary also known as R.E.S.C.U.E. serves as a home/orphanage for rescued baby elephants and rhinos. Rangers provide them with care until they are of age to be released to the wild. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons @Athuman Komora Garisse
A Rhino orphanage in Zululand, South Africa accustomed to only taking in orphaned rhinos decided to make an exception to the rule and take in a baby elephant who had been rejected from his herd. His name was Ubuntu, but he became affectionately known as Ellie at the orphanage and around the world.
