Kelelari, Dupotto and Karisa graduate to Ithumba | Sheldrick Trust

Fast growing orphaned elephants, Kelelari, Dupotto and Karisa made the next move in their journey back to a life in the wild when they graduated to our Ithumba Reintegration Unit in May 2017.
Find out more about Kelelari: www.thedswt.org/kelelari
Find out more about Dupotto: www.thedswt.org/dupotto
Find out more about Karisa: www.thedswt.org/karisa
Established in 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) operates the world’s most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program, rescuing and hand-rearing orphaned elephants and other animals that have lost their mothers, all too often as a result of human activity. But we do much more than this. Through our Aerial, Anti-Poaching and Mobile Veterinary Units, we safeguard the natural environment and provide immediate assistance to wild animals in need. We also secure irreplaceable wilderness areas so that animals will always have space to roam and work with local partners and communities to ensure people and wildlife can live alongside one another.
More Information about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust can be found on the website ▶ www.sheldrickw...
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[@Automedon2]

Bless those hard working keepers. Future generations of elephants owe their lives to those guys and what they do today.

[@mirellamarie7956]

What a beautiful video! I love the greetings moments. We humans have much to learn from these marvellous animals !

[@quadbox]

After the events in Manchester, Bankok, Marawi and Syria this week, this video is such a gift and a nice reminder exactly why it is so important to save these wonderful animals. The way the run to greet each other and the way they treat each other is so beautiful and something humans could learn a lot from. If only people treated each other with such inclusivity and love.

[@Emigirl90]

So Dupotto and Karisa returned home thank goodness, but Kelelari is still missing 😭hopefully they'll return home safely soon x

[@a.i2625]

Baby elephants are cute and adult elephants are magnificent !

[@monicaenriquez8643]

I am so impressed with whoever designed that elephant transport truck! It looks so well thought out not only for the elephants but the wonderful keepers too!

[@phuongvo3051]

That’s what I thought too,genius guys to design those truck,the elephant feel comfortable and they can move around in there ,and the workers can walk around to take care them .👍

[@maryberkey3760]

Very COOL🚚👏👍💯😎

[@TlanImass]

Update 2: Karisa has returned to Ithumba. He came home with an ex-orphan herd. :D Awesome! Kelelari is still out and about.

[@mrvuthyband]

"A little push eventually got him safely inside" Shows Karisa had be pushed in hard by tons of carers 🤣 The writer has a sense of humor

[@Kim-lc3fv]

Nice video that truly shows how this community of young elephants really forms bonds and communicates with each other. Thank you for sharing! ☺🐘

[@cgage_01]

Now that is a well integrated herd already, how fun to watch them greet each other like that :-)

[@maryberkey3760]

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING,BEAUTIFUL + MAGICAL💙❤️💚🐘🍼🤎💦💞🙏THANK YOU FOR RESCUING,LOVING + CARING FOR THESE "OH SO PRECIOUS" ORPHANED BABY ELLIES WHO CAN NOW BE WHO THEY WERE BORN TO BE....WILD + FREE ELEPHANTS❤️💙💚🐘🌳🌿🍃💦 LIEBE SEHR + GOD BLESS💞🙏

[@TlanImass]

Update: Dupotto has been found and returned to Ithumba. Kelelari has been sighted but Karisa hasn't been located. They were with a wild herd.

[@MariaGomez-pe6jw]

Son realmente bellos, hermosos! Y nos necesitan tanto! Gracias a toda la gente hermosa que se dedica a cuidar a estos majestuosos ejemplares! Los amo y a ustedes también.

[@2dasimmons]

Thee poor elephants have been traumatized and it will take a lot of loving kindness and attention to get them adjust. Perhaps even a lifetime. HUMAN BEINGS< PLEASE DON'T HURT THE DEAR ELEPHANTS ANY LONGER!!. Kudos to the good folk at DSWT trying to correct this disgrace.

[@pattym366]

What majestic beings, even as they are still youngsters ❤️🐘🐘🐘

[@stephanierises]

These babies look so happy 😊 ♥ I get to enjoy a little dose of the Herd everyday! Well I have been guilty of binge watching the Herd ellies 🐘 😂. Witnessing this work adds joy to my life.

[@mienamie4448]

And All of This Xxx 😍😗😙😚🤗😇Thanks to You THE GREAT KEEPERS AND FAM. OF THESE ELLYS 💋❤💋❤💋❤💋❤💋💕💞💝GOD BLESS xxx from Holland love U guys😉👍.

[@mikemyers4588]

The happiest elephant's in the world live at the DSWT

[@sigridwlassak7286]

Echt super was ihr leistet.Danke👍💋😚😚

[@TlanImass]

I hope Kelelari thrives at Ithumba and at Tsavo East. With his missing tail I would've thought he'd end up at Umani Springs but I figure there're more bugs in the forest than in the Savannah. :D

[@LAnett13]

I hope he's still alive... because these 3 have wanished without any trace a month ago... www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/keepers_diary.asp?UID=2&M=5&Y=2017&D=20

[@eddiegarcia7289]

God's blessings in your accomplishments and to these wonderful trainers who have made it possible. Safe trips home.

[@johannamix966]

thankyou thankyou xxx 💓 xxxxnjo UK xxxxxxx

[@lindametts8573]

God Bless the keepers and the ELEPHANTS they are so loved there!!!💓💓💓🎈🎈🎆🎆🎆

[@cricketsmith368]

\o/ Praising & thanking Creator God for the rains that supplied the elephants with such food! And for the good men who so lovingly & kindly care for the elephants! \o/

[@rydstromdecarolis3087]

That was a fantastic video!!!

[@ritaturner9906]

It’s amazing how they sense something when trying to get them in truck. I can see why they don’t want to leave. They are happy and don’t understand why they have to be transferred. It’s nice they transfer them in 3s so they already know someone before they leave.

[@peterwin3013]

Lovely elephants

[@deedeewilliams6741]

I love elephants I wish they had the money for fly out there to meet the babies and hug them and kiss them

[@Aurinkohirvi]

I would rather have heard the recorded audio than background music, but a wonderful video.

[@juliansydney9819]

Agreed I turn down the sound

[@2dasimmons]

Whew! THAT was some "little push". It looked like a dozen or more men pushing:-)

[@mariamarong3676]

❤

[@Emigirl90]

I hope they're right and there with another group and they are keeping them safe

[@LAnett13]

Yes! I'm a bit worried though...

[@cacatr4495]

Are these the ones that are missing??

[@LAnett13]

Yes... :(

[@finjatortl]

missing? what do you mean?

[@LAnett13]

You know in May 22 something scared the orphan herd at Ithumba, and these 3 just ran away, since this incident DSWT hasn't find them... They are most likely with some wild herds... But the search continues...

[@LAnett13]

www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/keepers_diary.asp?UID=2&M=5&Y=2017&D=20

[@LAnett13]

Great news, Dupotto is back at Ithumba! And Kelerari and Karisa weere sighted too: " It is with great relief that we can report Dupotto is back in the Ithumba fold. The three orphans who went missing two months ago from our Ithumba Unit, Kelelari, Dupotto and Karisa, were sighted in the company of wild elephants by the DSWT/KWS Yatta Anti-Poaching team on 4th August, while they were on operations along the Athi River. With our pilots keeping an eye on their whereabouts from the air, we coordinated the rescue effort involving vehicles, as well as Dupotto's best loved Nursery Keepers, additional men to assist and Dr. Ephantus, the DSWT/KWS Amboseli Vet. For two days a rescue proved impossible given their inaccessible location, and the teams waited patiently for conditions to improve. On the 6th, they were located from the air early in the morning, this time on the top of the Yatta plateau and just a few hundred meters from an unused old vehicle track. Once all vehicles and men were in place Dupotto was separated from Kelelari by the helicopter and darted by Dr. Ephantus from the air. In no time she fell asleep and slumped to the ground, and the Keepers were able run through the dense bush to where she fell, guided by the helicopter above. Once she was stabilized and rolled onto the canvas stretcher, with much heaving and hauling she was loaded onto the back of a Ford truck and driven the two hour journey to Ithumba, with Dr. Ephantus with her in the back of the vehicle for the entire journey. It was impossible to dart Kelelari at the same time as he immediately took off in the opposite direction and was soon absorbed by his wild companions, now far from any road. Kelelari is a big elephant, and given how much we struggled to load Dupotto into the vehicle it was evident that we simply did not have the man power on hand to do the job. We debated long and hard; Kelelari being a much older elephant when we rescued him, who has already lived a wild life for much longer than most of our orphans, and given that he is in the company of wild elephants we have left him with the wild herds and will continue to monitor him from the air in the coming weeks, before making any rushed decisions. When Dupotto arrived at Ithumba it was evident she had lost condition. While observing her from the air she looked extremely vulnerable and given that she originally came to the Nursery as a young baby this whole ordeal must have been incredibly difficult for her. This was evident from her relief at being reunited with Kamok and her old Nursery pals once back in the comfort of the Ithumba stockades. The Keepers are massively relieved to know she is back safe in their care, and that the others remain safe with wild friends. When the Yatta Anti-Poaching team first came across the lost orphans they reported that there were three. To date our aerial teams have not conclusively sighted Karisa, but the orphans were in the company of wild elephants, and the dynamics of the wild herds have changed over the days we have been observing them from the air, we have seen elephants of Karisa’s size in the herds and we hope that one of them is him, but he has been harder to positively identify. We will be continuing our patrols, ground and air, to monitor Kelelari and seek to identify Karisa within the wild herds.

[@treelover1050]

CURIOUS? EACH DAY THE KEEPERS WALK WITH ELEPHANTS AS THEY FEED DAILY. DO KEEPERS CARRY EFFECTIVE RIFLES TO PROTECT ELEPHANTS AND THEMSELVES DURING THEIR DAY-LONG OUTINGS IN THE BUSH? THANKS.

[@e.flat-major]

i think karisa was maybe not ready yet. i wonder why they pushed him when sheldrick also states that all elephants can reintegrate at their own pace.