Baby elephant orphans, Fenya and Khanyisa meet again across the nursery door 🐘🌿🐘

The morning after we moved Fenya to her new nursery (Khanyisa's old nursery), the two calves came together across the door between the nursery room and private garden.

This was a big day for Fenya, the morning after her blood transfusion, the morning she stepped outside again, but a day as vital as those before them, as her healing journey remains critical.

Elephants are incredibly social herd animals and the support and comfort they provide one another within a family is essential for their well-being and growth. Giving the two orphan calves this chance to bond while still safely apart, we hope to help ease Fenya's rehabilitation and bring her some comfort after two or so months without her own herd, after being caught in the snare.

Watch here as Adine films a very close-up view between Khanyisa and Fenya, with Sunshine much more boisterous and enthusiastic about the interaction than little Fenya. Fenya's lack of energy due to her intense starvation makes her much weaker and a lot less vigorous than playful Khanyisa. Initially her defensiveness and adrenaline no doubt kept the fight in her alive, but she has settled down tremendously, while learning to trust those around her now. Still, she gingerly comes close to Khanyisa at times and contentedly takes bark and grass from Stavros and Adine, even managing to peel and pull bark from a branch herself, by wrapping her trunk around it.

Toward the end of their morning meet 'n greet, Khanyisa heads off to her herd for her own day's adventures. Right after this encounter, we opened the door to Fenya's nursery and watched as she headed out into the garden for the first time. That night (last night), she decided to spend a little time sleeping outside too, on a sandy slope that made it easier for her to get back up and go inside when it got a little chillier.

We continue to hope with our whole hearts for Fenya to survive this fragile early stage of her rehab!

Видео Baby elephant orphans, Fenya and Khanyisa meet again across the nursery door 🐘🌿🐘 канала HERD Elephant Orphanage South Africa