Credit: KAWFT
The calf – believed to be under two years of age – was spotted by a Zimbabwe Parks ranger who quickly reported the situation to our partner, Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust (KAWFT). They turned to us with a plea: they desperately need our support in helping to dart the animal and get her treated and relocated to an elephant orphanage, where she can heal in peace.
Can this helpless calf count on you today?
Credit: ASI/Byron Seale
Snared elephant calf faces death if we do not act FAST. Please, help as soon as you can!
Laid by heartless poachers who care little for the agony they cause helpless animals, snares can be lethal – and they are particularly dangerous for young animals like this elephant calf. Slowed and hampered by the cruel contraption, they are often abandoned by their herds as they simply cannot keep up.
This is what appears to have happened to this vulnerable little calf, who faces death as a result. Without intervention, she will either succumb to her injuries, or grow weak and starve as a result of being abandoned.
Elephants form close bonds with the members of their herd and mourn the deaths of other elephants. Usually, when an elephant is injured – especially a calf – the herd slows down to accommodate them. These intelligent, empathetic animals have even been seen trying to help dying loved ones by lifting them up with their trunks and tusks, bellowing in distress when they fail.
We weren’t there when the herd was forced to abandon this calf, but we can only guess at the heartbreaking reality of that painful situation.
Credit: KAWFT
We MUST act as soon as possible – time is running out for a helpless snared elephant calf in Lake Kariba!
We are preparing emergency supplies, including milk, drips, treatment and appropriate transportation for the badly injured animal, so we can hit the ground running as soon as we raise the necessary funds.
But rescue operations like this are challenging, time-sensitive and very expensive. Our team must travel over difficult and dangerous terrain for approximately 2.5 hours to reach the calf. Once located, they will dart, treat, rehydrate and stabilize her.
Ultimately, our team will relocate her to an elephant orphanage where she will receive the long-term care she needs to survive. Elephant calves are reliant on their mothers until they are around three years old, normally staying with them until they are 10. Females stay with their herds for life.
Snares that are not removed will eventually cut into an animal’s bone, causing excruciating injuries that may lead to infection and death.
Credit: ASI/Byron Seale
Without her mom to feed and guide her, this calf stands little chance of survival.
Your support is crucial to the success of this life-saving mission. Please donate now to help us give this young elephant a second chance at life.
The snare is digging so deeply into the calf’s flesh, we suspect it may soon cut bone-deep. With the risk of infection, exhaustion and starvation skyrocketing by the day, we must act at once. Your donation will help make a life-saving difference.
Please donate as much as you can to help us cover the outstanding costs of the rescue mission, including expert veterinary care, medication and special milk formula.
She is counting on you.
Saving animals and the planet,
General Manager
Animal Survival International
P.S. As a wire snare cuts deeper into an elephant calf’s flesh, her chance of surviving is plummeting. Please donate to help rescue, treat and rehabilitate this vulnerable animal.