Our elephant family has a heartwarming addition – a precious baby girl named Lexi, born to a loving mother, Lualeni. This marks Lualeni’s second baby girl and holds special significance, considering her challenging journey as an orphan.
Seventeen years ago, Lualeni’s life hung in the balance when she was discovered as a tiny, lonely elephant calf under a tree at Taita Hills Sanctuary, having lost her mother to poachers. This joyful birth is a testament to the resilience of our extended elephant family.
Lualeni’s path to happiness was not an easy one. After her rescue, she grappled with profound grief, distancing herself from other orphans and showing little enthusiasm for her newfound family.
It took four months for a breakthrough when she embraced life with newfound energy, playing with her peers and exuding happiness previously foreign to her caretakers.
Despite her troubled past, Lualeni, a remarkable elephant at our Ithumba Reintegration Unit, has always been known for her nurturing nature.
Her desire to care for others occasionally led to comical attempts at “kidnapping” dependent orphans, much to the Keepers’ amusement.
Lualeni’s dream of having her herd came true when she gave birth to her first calf, Lulu, in September 2018. She was an exceptional mother, raising her daughter with love and care.
In April, familiar behavior from Lualeni resurfaced as she called out to the Ithumba-dependent orphans to join her and Lulu at a mud bath as if trying to recruit them as nannies. Despite past antics, she remains a beloved member of our elephant family.
Witnessing Lualeni thrive as a devoted mother of two today is heartwarming, considering her tumultuous past.
After a hiatus following their amusing recruitment campaign, Benjamin, the headkeeper at Ithumba, spotted Lualeni and her family on January 7th, 2022, including a new baby elephant in their midst.
Lexi, a healthy and joyful baby elephant, enjoys the love and care of her family and friends in the lush environment of Tsavo.
Recent sightings of Lualeni and her family, with three-year-old Lulu stepping into the significant sister role, reaffirm that Lexi was born into an elephant paradise filled with playmates and devoted family members.
