How this baby elephant defied the odds and has since become a national beacon of hope for conservation ( 5 photos )

 The baby elephant is barely alive 

All photos with a huge thank you: National Geographic

One Sunday morning in late November, Tunde Morakinyo received an unexpected and urgent phone call. “The baby elephant will be here in two hours,” said his ANI Foundation colleague Peter Abanyam, who is based at Okomu National Park in Nigeria. “We need to figure out what to do to keep it alive.”

Morakinyo, who leads ANI Foundation, a Nigerian nonprofit group focused on protecting biodiversity, was in disbelief. “Baby elephant?” Earlier that morning, a worker at the Okomu Oil Palm Plantation, which borders the park, had spotted the baby wandering alone—a highly unusual sight. What came next was a whirlwind learning curve for everyone involved in taking care of Nigeria’s first surviving orphaned baby elephant, who has since become a national beacon of hope for conservation.

“Never once had I expected to become an elephant parent,” says Abanyam. “This is the first case of elephant rescue in Nigeria. When this happened, we didn’t have any form of experience.” His team’s prior work at the park involved poaching patrol and curbing illegal logging, not animal care. “But life gives us unexpected challenges, and we must rise to meet them,” he adds. 

The baby was a critically endangered African forest elephant; they’re smaller than savannah elephants, with rounder ears and shorter, straighter tusks, and their habitat is much more restricted. Today Nigeria is home to an estimated 400 forest elephants, with about 30 to 40 living in Okomu National Park, a protected swath of rainforest in southern Nigeria that is co-managed by the Nigeria National Park Service and ANI Foundation. 

“Okomu is one of the last fragments of forest habitat left for forest elephants and many threatened species,” says Morakinyo. How the baby elephant—then about eight months old and not yet weaned—became separated from his family remains unclear, but Morakinyo suspects the group may have stumbled across hunters and scattered at the sounds of shotguns, machetes, and iron traps. “When you have a baby elephant wandering around alone, it’s very sad,” he says. 

After failing to find the baby’s family in the dense rainforest, the team brought him into human care. At that age, he wouldn’t survive and find sufficient food on his own, says Abanyam, who was worried about the threat of bushmeat poachers. They transported the elephant baby, barely as tall as a car tire, in the back of a pickup truck. “Our lives here in the outpost changed drastically after the baby elephant arrived,” says Abanyam. “We had many sleepless nights.” 

The infant’s early days were touch and go. Experienced wildlife veterinarians warned the first-time caretakers not to name him yet, for fear of worsening the heartbreak of potentially losing him. Within a few days, the baby had little energy to move around or eat. “We were very scared,” recalls Abanyam. 

When baby elephants “crash,” says Liz O’Brien, a consultant in Zambia who specializes in orphan elephant care and who joined the rescue effort as an adviser, it’s usually due to one or more factors: exhaustion, losing their mother and her milk, and adrenaline levels that spike and suddenly drop. “It’s like the animal just runs out of gas—it doesn’t have energy to stand, to eat, to do anything.”  

At one point, after blood sugar tests revealed hypoglycemia, the team sent a truck to pick up the nearest veterinarians—an hour’s drive away at the oil palm plantation. They administered IV fluids and dextrose to raise the baby’s blood sugar. “For two days, we were constantly checking his blood glucose, constantly adjusting the IV drips,” recalls O’Brien. 

The Okomu team also learned how to feed the baby a mix of milk powder, coconut, cooked oats, and other ingredients for targeted nutrition and how to give him social support to comfort him and help him develop without his original family. “A baby elephant in the wild is never normally alone,” O’Brien says. “It always has a family around it.” 

Dedicated animal keepers took turns staying with the elephant around-the-clock inside an improvised fenced space near the main ranger outpost, gently tucking him under a brown cotton blanket to keep his temperature stable while he slept.

After several weeks, the elephant started to eat more quickly and became more playful and confident. “Then we saw there was hope—we saw that this guy is ready to survive,” says Abanyam. And so they gave him a name: Agbaibor (pronounced Ah–gba–ibow), which means “bravery,” “strength,” or “the survivor” in Ijaw, a Nigerian language.

Born to be wild : In memory of Chantal the painted 'pink elephant' exploited, and abused, Chantal died entertaining tourists

 

Exploited And Abused, Chanchal Died Entertaining Tourists

The striking images have lingered across media platforms: Photographed in Jaipur, it’s a disturbing picture of an elephant named Chanchal painted bright pink, with a model sitting on her back. The elephant spent her entire life being ridden and exploited, and in her final days, suffered the indignity of being painted head-to-toe

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In recent days, a striking image has lingered across media platforms: Shot in Jaipur, it’s a disturbing picture of an elephant named Chanchal painted entirely in pink, with a model sitting on her back. At first glance, it appears whimsical. Almost surreal but look a little closer and you see an animal the size of a giant standing petrified like a prop. Viewers, including animal rights activists, expressed anger and questioned how exploitation of these gentle beings continues in the name of tourism and spectacle.

There are reportedly around 75-100 elephants currently stuck in Jaipur tourism industry [Photo © Wildlife SOS/Mradul Pathak]

Then came another blow: The elephant’s owner said that approximately 70-year-old Chanchal had unfortunately died in February 2026 “due to old age”. This statement itself raised another bunch of red flags. Was this just another mask to cover-up for elephants like Chanchal who were constantly carrying the weight of tourists on their backs, which was slowly but surely wearing down their bodies? 

Placed side by side, the viral spectacle and the reporting of her death are difficult to separate. The photoshoot exposed the reality of elephants whose lives are shaped not by choice, but by constant abuse and mistreatment. For years, she remained part of the city’s tourism economy, walking long hours, carrying people on a saddle and existing within a system that rarely prioritised her wellbeing.

Elephant rides in cities like Jaipur are often framed as cultural experiences. The imagery is familiar and seemingly normal for most Indians and tourists alike: decorated elephants, heritage backdrops, and the promise of something “authentic”. However, none of that is natural for the elephant, no matter how historically accurate it may seem. 

At the centre of dominating elephants is phajaan, a ruthless process of traumatising them to such an extent that their spirits are broken. Young elephants are separated from their mothers, restrained, confined, and subjected to repeated torment until resistance becomes pointless. They are not trained, they are broken. They don’t learn obedience, they learn that the only way to survive is a quiet, fearful acceptance of a life where pain follows defiance, every single time. The ones that don’t submit eventually die from the torture. 

Elephants love mud and sand when they live in the wild and are free

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The baby elephants love sleeping on sand . 

377 Exotic parrots and tortoises seized discovered inside a car in Sicily near the boarding area for a catamaran bound for Malta ( photos customs Italy )

 

Screenshot from video courtesy of Guardia di Finanza / Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM)

Italian authorities announced the seizure of 377 live exotic animals discovered inside a vehicle at the Port of Pozzallo in Sicily.

The operation was carried out by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza in cooperation with the Customs and Monopolies Agency during inspections at the port.

Authorities intercepted a Maltese citizen transporting 300 tortoises and 77 parrots near the boarding area for a catamaran bound for Malta.

 300 of these little ones in the boot of a car. 

According to the Guardia di Finanza, the vehicle did not provide adequate space or appropriate temperature regulation to protect the animals’ health. Veterinarians with the Ragusa Provincial Health Authority were called to the scene and confirmed the inadequate conditions in which the animals were being transported.

Further examinations by the Guardia di Finanza’s CITES unit in Catania-Fontanarossa determined that 76 of the 77 parrots belonged to species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The protected species identified were Ara macao, Ara chloropterus, Ara ararauna, Cacatua roseicapilla, and Cacatua alba.

The individual transporting the animals was referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ragusa over alleged offenses related to keeping animals in conditions unsuitable for their welfare and capable of causing serious suffering, along with alleged violations of Italy’s Law No. 150/1992 regarding the implementation of CITES.

All 377 animals were rescued and transferred to a facility that authorities said could provide suitable housing and care.

The Guardia di Finanza noted that the individual is presumed innocent unless and until a final conviction is issued.

The case highlights the urgent need to protect animals from the illegal wildlife trade and strengthen enforcement efforts to prevent the exploitation and trafficking of protected species.

World Animal News

The war on wildlife: Trump's latest ridiculous move: Killing wild animals to boost numbers of other animals for hunters to kill.

 

Last week, President Trump issued a new executive order directing federal agencies to expand hunting and permit the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on public lands. The order is called: “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage.”  

And it is a farce. 

Make no mistake: This is all part of this administration’s wider war on wildlife. 

This latest move comes right on the heels of another attack on the Endangered Species Act, and it could lead to, indeed, a “reinvigorated” hunting of animals such as wolves, bears and mountain lions on public lands. It could also result in the spread of lead in sensitive ecosystems and habitats, a toxicity that harms everyone, people included.   

The executive order operates on a false premise—that hunting helps conservation, and so loosening hunting restrictions is good. Let us disabuse anyone of the notion that this is true: 

1. Lead is dangerous to animals and humans at any level. 

First, it is nothing less than absurd to take steps backward on lead ammunition and tackle. Because of the wide acknowledgment of its toxicity, lead has been removed from gasoline, pipes, house paint and many other common products. The restrictions on lead ammo and tackle that exist are there for good reason.  

More than 130 species of wild animals have suffered from the effects of lead poisoning from spent lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Lead poisoning is one of the leading causes of death for bald eagles and California condors. Raptors ingest lead ammunition fragments left behind by hunters or the carcasses of animals that hunters shoot but don’t recover. In birds, a single ingested shotgun pellet or bullet fragment is sufficient to cause brain damage, impairing critical neuromuscular, auditory and visual responses. Often, the ingestion results in death. Poisoned animals who survive often experience long-term negative effects that make them more susceptible to predation and dangers such as car collisions.   

And of course, a human child exposed to lead can suffer from all kinds of health and developmental problems—which is why it’s common practice for pediatricians across the U.S. to screen children for lead exposure.  

So, why would we take steps backward and sanction the use of lead in ecosystems?

This golden eagle was outfitted with a GPS transmitter. She was found dead 1.5 miles outside of Yellowstone National Park. A necropsy revealed she died from lead poisoning.

2. Ridiculous: Killing some animals to boost numbers of other animals for hunters to kill.  

The executive order says that “The Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agriculture shall coordinate with State agencies to align management practices and conservation plans to promote the growth of game species populations through the… targeted management of predators, competing species, and other population-limiting factors.”  

The “targeted management”—the killing—of wild carnivores (such as grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats and foxes) for the purpose of increasing populations of game species (such as deer, elk and moose) is a ridiculous plan.  

It’s been proven that predator control schemes do not work, in part because populations of deer, elk and other game species are affected by many environmental factors. So, killing wild carnivores to grow other species will not increase ungulate herd sizes, but will only cause pain and suffering, shattering family social structures (when a wolf pack loses even one breeding member, for example, the whole pack can disintegrate leaving orphaned pups) and wreaking havoc on ecosystems.  

Recently, Utah, Nevada and Oregon have killed dozens of mountain lions and coyotes in an attempt to augment bighorn sheep herds. Bighorn sheep populations are in decline because of historic overhunting, and now the animals are facing debilitating diseases which have been spread from domestic sheep.  

And Alaskan officials are killing dozens of brown bears annually too, to ostensibly help flagging caribou herds, who are harmed by a warming climate. 

As if that weren’t enough to ardently oppose this approach to “wildlife management,” the methods used to kill these wild carnivores are often the height of cruelty; steel-jawed leghold traps, strangling neck snares and packs of hounds are just some of examples.  

3. Increased hunting will not bolster the economy. Wildlife watching is more popular and economically significant than hunting. 

Wildlife watching reaches a much broader public than hunting and generates substantially greater economic activity, too, according to the federal government’s own data.  

• In 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that 145.3 million people watched wildlife in 2022, compared with 14.4 million who participated in hunting—that’s roughly ten wildlife watchers for every hunter. In 2022, wildlife watchers spent over  $250 billion, while hunters spent over $45 billion. Wildlife-watching expenditures were more than five times higher than hunting-related expenditures.  
• In 2024, visitors to national parks spent an estimated $29 billion in local gateway regions, supporting jobs, labor income, value added and broader economic output.  
• In 2024, the total outdoor recreation spending reached just over $540 billion with hunting and trapping accounting for only 1.24% of that total, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

These federal sources show that wildlife watching is not only more widely practiced than hunting, but also a larger driver of outdoor recreation spending and local economic benefits. Only 4.6% of Americans hold a paid hunting license in 2026, according to governmental data. Contrary to the myth that hunters pay for wildlife, the truth is that wildlife watchers subsidize hunters.   

Public lands belong to all of us 

Americans value living wildlife and natural places. America’s public lands encompass hundreds of millions of acres and provide a home to thousands of wildlife and fish species. Nearly half the land in the American West is publicly owned and federally managed. These lands are not a private playground for special interests; they are a shared national trust, and they should be managed in ways that sustain healthy ecosystems.  

If the government is meant to represent the interests of the American people, then it should listen to the American people and invest in science-based conservation that protects biodiversity, reduces lead contamination and ensures wild animals can thrive. 

Five ways you can help wildlife right now 

• Urge your lawmaker to vote NO on the misleadingly named Pet and Livestock Protection Act, legislation that would put wolves in the crosshairs. 
• Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to keep grizzly bears protected!  
• Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain protections for wolves. 
• Add your voice to calls to maintain key provisions in the Endangered Species Act.  
• Sign the pledge to end trophy hunting.  

Kitty Block is president and CEO of Humane World for Animals. Follow Kitty Block on X. Sara Amundson is president of Humane World Action Fund.

About the Author

Kitty Block is the chief executive officer and president of Humane World for Animals, as well as the chief executive officer of Humane World Action Fund.

Read more about Kitty Block

Humane World For Animals: 70 Dogs Rescued From South Korean Dog Meat Farm Ahead of Nationwide Ban (the final rescue at a farm that slaughtered 1000 dogs a year )

 Staff of  Humane  World for Animals

More than 70 dogs have been rescued from a dog meat farm in Gangjin, South Korea Humane World for Animals’ final large-scale dog meat farm rescue before the nationwide ban takes full effect in February 2027.

The dogs include Jindos, a German shepherd, a corgi mix, a husky mix, several spitz mixes, puppies, and other small and medium-sized dogs. The animals are the final survivors at a farm that once bred and slaughtered as many as 1,000 dogs each year. 

Humane World for Animals has rescued almost 3,000 dogs from South Korean dog meat farms since 2015.  

Sangkyung Lee, Humane World for Animals Korea campaign manager, stated:

“For more than a decade, our rescue teams have shone a spotlight inside these dog meat farms and faced the heartbreak of witnessing the suffering involved in this industry while saving the lives of thousands of dogs. To be conducting our final farm rescue is an incredibly profound moment. These 70 dogs are among the very last few to suffer in this dying industry, and sending them to the USA and Canada to start new lives in loving families feels like the perfect closing chapter to our 10-year mission as South Korea embarks on a new relationship with dogs in which they are friends not food.”

The farm came to the attention of animal advocates earlier this year after a member of the public contacted a local animal protection group. The group and Humane World for Animals alerted local authorities, who cited the farm for violations of the Animal Protection Act relating to animal husbandry and management.

The farmer agreed to relinquish the remaining dogs and signed a written commitment to no longer participate in the dog meat industry.

On September 29, more than 70 dogs were removed from the farm and transported to secure facilities at Incheon Airport. On September 30, the first group departed South Korea for the United States and Canada.

The dogs will initially be cared for at Humane World for Animals’ rehabilitation center before being transferred to partner organizations to begin their search for adoptive families.

South Korea’s ban on the dog meat industry was unanimously passed by the National Assembly in January 2024. Beginning February 7, 2027, it will be illegal to farm, kill, butcher or sell dogs or dog meat for human consumption. Violations can carry penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to 30 million.

In May 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that 1,265 registered dog meat farms, representing 82% of the total, had already closed, with 272 remaining.

With its final large-scale dog meat farm rescue in South Korea now completed, Humane World for Animals says its work will shift toward monitoring compliance with and enforcement of the ban.

A 4 days old baby elephant swept away from its mother by strong currents of the Teesta River Bengal: 5 fishermen spotted the baby almost drowning and pulled it to safety (videos)

 

Baby Elephant Calf Swept Away by Teesta Rescued, Reunited With Mother | VIRAL VIDEO

164.118 weergaven 22 sep 2026 WEST BENGAL

A dramatic rescue unfolded near Gajoldoba in West Bengal after a young elephant calf was swept nearly 4 km downstream by the strong currents of the Teesta River. Five fishermen spotted the struggling calf and pulled it to safety. Forest officials later joined the rescue effort, providing veterinary care before carefully reuniting the calf with its mother. The emotional reunion saw the mother approach and nurse her rescued calf.

@kaufmannproject

Some fishermen in a small boat, without any special equipment, showed the world how to save a life—without fanfare or vanity. These men are true human beings, compassionate and caring. May more people learn from their example! They deserve a substantial monetary reward and significant media attention, for good deeds should be remembered and shared. Hopefully, more people will be inspired to do good. The little elephant is an adorable baby, and I hope it lives a long and happy life alongside its mother. Wishing a long and happy life to the brave brothers who saved the little elephant!

Unfortunately the 5 fishermen did not receive a cent. What they did receive was admiration for saving the bay elephant from all over the world The videos went viral