Tshepiso
Meaning of name: Promise
Current Age: 5 years and 3 months old
Date of Birth (Approximate): January 7, 2019
Gender: Female
Reason Orphaned: Mother likely killed by humans
Rescue Date: October 7, 2019
Age at Rescue (Approximate): 9 months old
Rescue Location: Sekondomboro, Okavango Delta Panhandle
Foster Me!
This little baby girl was reported to us by locals in the Sekondomboro Settlement after they saw her roaming around on her own. They told us she had a favorite area where she spent most of her time when she wasn’t at the river for a drink and a wallow in the mud.
Bee and AK went to Sekondomboro and were taken to the baby’s favorite spot, but she wasn’t there. As we looked for her, we came across two dead elephants, a youngster and a mother—most likely the baby’s mother. For the rest of the day we walked, looking for the orphan, but not finding her.
The next morning we left our campsite to try her favorite spot again. This time we saw fresh tracks from her, which we followed until eventually they joined the tracks of other elephants. We went to the water hole to wait, hoping she would come for a drink and a mudbath as the temperature soared.
Dr. Comfort arrived to wait with us around noon, but she never came. Finally, we returned to her favorite spot where we found her resting. We monitored her for a few hours, before capturing her in the late evening. After loading her into the truck, we returned to our campsite for the night, then returned to Elephant Havens with her the next day.
Little Tshepiso has had a more difficult time trusting her handlers than our other rescues have. She probably experienced some trauma from humans and may have even witnessed her mother’s death at the hands of humans.
The first few nights were very hard for her, so we put MmaMotse into her boma with her. It worked like magic, and they slept touching trunks for the first few weeks until we could give each of them their own boma again. Tshepiso is now allowing our men in to clean her enclosure and give her some special love. This little baby has newly discovered a love for oranges. She can smell one a mile away and immediately puts her trunk up to beg for them.
FOSTER AN ELEPHANT FOR YOURSELF OR AS A GIFT FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL.
For just $100 annually, our foster parents receive by email:*
Foster certificate with the name, photo and details of your orphan
Updates on their care and progress
*Emailing these items saves us money on printing and postage, so we can ensure every dollar you donate goes directly to the elephants.
Foster Tshepiso
Donation form
Please call 972-620-2523 if you have any questions about fostering.