Watch this heart-warming video to see how a small newborn elephant was dramatically rescued and how the mother elephants at the Nairobi Nursery, who had previously been rescued themselves, welcomed the baby warmly, lovingly took over his upbringing, and truly adopted him as their own right into that herd.
The newborn baby male calf, Kithaka, had been abandoned by his mother when their herd had been chased out of an African human settlement, and he wandered into a nearby village.
See how the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust KWS rangers flew in to rescue him, coaxed him and guided this rambunctious 200 pound baby to and into the helicopter after wrapping him in a blanket to make him feel secure, and airlifted him to the Lewa airfield and then on to the Nairobi Nursery to become his new home. During the flight, the rangers constantly petted him to make him less nervous and so that he could have reassuring contact.
Once at the Nursery, he was given loving care by his keepers and certainly by the female elephants that adopted him. Also see one of his keepers play a push-and-pull game with Kithaka as the mother elephants stand right by and watch.