8.12.2025
A baby elephant which strayed from the herd has now been taken in by conservationists who are giving it good care to ensure it survives.
The calf was rescued from a palm plantation in the Okomu National Park, Ovia Southwest Local Government Area, Edo State on November 30. Okomu National Park Conservator Mr Osaze Lawrence said Monday all hands are on deck to see the baby elephant get well and strong enough to return to the wild.
“It was a very young elephant less than two months old; rescuers from the plantation gave it water, tried to revive it and immediately called us,” Lawrence told NAN.
He said after the calf was revived it was returned to the wild.
“It walked some metres into the wild on its own and thought it had returned to its family
“But a commercial motorcyclist later reported seeing the disoriented calf alone by the roadside.
“At that point, it became clear it could not find its herd; the best option was for us to rescue, rehabilitate and stabilise it,” he said.
He noted that the calf, which had slipped into a health crisis, is now under 24-hour veterinary care at an ANI camp within the park.
“We are feeding it with the recommended milk, giving medication and monitoring its strength; it is stabilising and doing very well,” he added
He praised the synergy among national authorities, ANI, Okomu Oil Palm Company, veterinarians, as well as the international experts.
The rescue had drawn international attention, including that of a UK-born wildlife rescue specialist Liz O’Brien, who had flown in from Zambia, to join the efforts.
O’Brien who had gathered about15 years of experience rescuing elephants across Africa, described the case as historic.
“In Nigeria, they have never rescued an elephant like this before; this is the first of its kind,” she said.
According to her, she had travelled to Nigeria because the baby elephant required expert’s intervention, adding that hands-on training for local conservation teams, will help build long-term capacity.
“My main reason for coming was to train people here, so the knowledge stays in the country.
“You cannot always rely on people flying in; We must develop the next generation of wildlife rescuers,” she said.
Meanwhile, on the future of the calf, O’Brien advised that it require at least two years of milk feeding and several more years of supervised exposure to the wild.
“Wild animals belong in the wild; the aim should be to return him to the area he came from when he is strong enough,” she said. NAN