Pregnant Elephant Returns To Sanctuary To Give Birth And Receives A Few Unexpected Guests

Mar 04, 2020 by apost team

Christmas 2014 was a special time at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. The rescue team couldn't believe their eyes when Emily the elephant, a former resident who had been returned into the wild, returned pregnant to have her second calf. What's more, then a herd of formerly orphaned elephants turned up back at the Trust to witness Emily's calf being born also.  

Emily was born in Kenya. She was found trapped in a pit latrine, and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust came out to rescue her. The young elephant was malnourished and in a pretty bad state, and the rescue crew decided she must have been orphaned a few weeks before falling into the latrine. They took her to the Nairobi Park Elephant Nursery, where she spent several years recovering and growing up. She was released back into the wild, as reported by The Independent. 

Emily showed up one day at the Elephant Nursery. She was heavily pregnant and apparently planned to give birth at the facility. The workers were blown away by this gesture of trust; it was entirely Emily's decision. No one had tried to find her or encourage her to come by for the birth.

apost.com

After the labor, as the calf hit the ground, what happened next was even more amazing: a large number of adult elephants materialized to welcome the new baby into the world. They trumpeted to announce the news, gathered around smelling the baby, and helped the baby up onto its feet. The adult elephants were identified as a herd of ex-orphans, all of whom grew up at the Elephant Orphanage and had apparently gathered together to escort Emily on her trip back to give birth.

The awe-stricken workers at the Elephant Orphanage videotaped the amazing experience. They named the new baby Emma. She is Emily's second baby; her first daughter, who was present at Emma's birth, was named Eve.

After resting for a bit, Emily and her fellow ex-orphans made their way back out into the wild, keeping a careful eye on young Emma.

If you found this story amazing and heart-warming, why not discuss it with all of your animal-loving friends?