It’s Feeding Time For These Baby Ellys!!!
The sound of a bicycle bell ringing is pure heaven to these elephant orphans at the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) of the Wild Is Life Trust www.wildislife.com/zen.html
Elephant calves require intensive and specialized care. Each calf requires a minimum of four handlers, each working on eight hour shifts. The calves are never left alone and are cared for around the clock.
Their diet is a specialized formula, devised by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. It includes S26 Gold milk powder, coconut oil and a large variety of vitamin and mineral supplements. Each calf consumes around 18 litres of formula per day.
The Elephant calves are housed in a heated stable, with a mattress to prevent chafing. The Handlers also require a bed so that they can sleep with the babies.
Care is taken to prevent sunburn, chafing, dry skin and parasites. Enrichment and learning are vital aspects of the daily life of an elephant calf.
When the elephant calves are deemed old enough, at around 4/5 years, they are re-located to a larger, well protected area, where the wild integration process will be implemented.
Source: Wild Is Life Trust, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
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