International Fund for Animal Welfare ( IFAW ) has a Elephant Nursery: when poachers kill their mothers the defenseless calves have to learn skills from humans

 

2 baby elephants just arrived.  Both their mothers were killed by poachers

The milk bottle is empty

When poachers kill female elephants, defenseless young calves can be left behind. Nursing calves, still dependent on their mothers, cannot survive without intervention.

Learning to drink milk from a bottle

Left to fend for themselves, these orphans struggle without the milk they need to survive, or the opportunity to learn critical social skills from their mothers. The stress of losing a mother often weakens the calves’ immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to malnutrition, dehydration and other stress-related health problems.

Solution

Working with the GRI-Lusaka Elephant Nursery Project (LEN), a non-governmental organization based in Zambia, we helped develop and operate an elephant nursery.

https://www.ifaw.org/projects/lusaka-elephant-nursery-zambia

This is the first elephant orphanage in Southern Africa and the second on the continent. Its mission is to return rescued elephants back to the wild. Our teams take orphaned elephants out for regular walks, put them on feeding schedules and even watch over them while they sleep. 

Foto: Daily walks

The project outgrew the capacity of the original nursery, so we built a new one. A production company, Sinking Ship Entertainment (SSE), asked us to join them in an innovative approach to launching their new TV show, Endlings. SSE included funds for elephant conservation in the show’s overall production costs and worked with us to cover the costs of building a new nursery.  

The new nursery opened in August 2022 in Lusaka National Park. The park is spacious and offers a peaceful environment for the elephants to begin their journey back to the wild.  

The nursery is a part of GRI’s larger Wildlife Discovery Centre, which operates in partnership with IFAW, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Olsen Animal Trust and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife of Zambia. 

School children at Wildlife Discovery Centre

Once the elephants are old enough to be weaned from milk, we transfer them to a special release facility in Kafue National Park.

With a thousand other wild elephants near the facility, we help the orphans integrate into a wild herd, gaining the herd’s protection and learning the social skills they will need to thrive.

As that happens, we use satellite collars to track their movements, ensure they integrate, and help them in case of emergency.

 human connections.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. 

www.ifaw.org

The problems we face are growing larger and more complex everyday. More online trafficking. More ocean noise. More powerful storms. We’ve been around for fifty years, but we know our solutions can’t stay the same. We have to be nimble, curious, and open to new partners. In short, we have to think, and act, differently.

When euthanasia seemed like the only option for stranded marine mammals, we found another way. We developed new technology to safely release them back into the ocean. When people in Bali were getting sick after natural disasters, we found the source: unvaccinated dogs. Now, we are making sure that island dogs get their rabies vaccines. And when we wanted to stop whale hunting in Japan, we called up the very last entity you could imagine: the Icelandic Tourism Board.

We’re not just finding a different way to do things. We’re finding a better way.

Many volunteers saving humans, pets and wildlife from Los Angeles fires ( 5 videos )

Los Angeles wildfires threaten animals, pets and wildlife at risk

 The Animal Reader

 

The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County in the United States have caused immense suffering to humans and animals. Firefighters are still working to control the blazes.

The most destructive fire in Los Angeles history continues to spread, forcing more evacuations. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ashes, leaving animals with nowhere to go.

Footage from Altadena and Topanga Canyon has shown deer, mountain lions, and other animals fleeing the fires, highlighting the dangerous situation for local wildlife. 

According to Miguel Ordeñana, a wildlife biologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the immediate threats include burns, smoke inhalation, and habitat destruction. However, the long-term impacts on animal populations could be even more severe.

Territorial animals like bobcats face difficult choices as fires destroy their homes. Forced to leave their territories, they may encounter predators or other risks in unfamiliar areas. “They picked that territory for a reason. Now, they’re forced into vulnerable situations, especially if they have young,” Ordeñana told High Country News.

Even species adapted to urban environments, such as bats, are losing their limited shelters, including trees, roofs, and freeway underpasses. “Yes, they can fly, but fly where?” Ordeñana asks.

California condor threatened

Biologist and wildlife host Jeff Corwin told TMZ that the wildfires are an “unprecedented catastrophe” for animals, particularly for endangered species like the California condor. 

Corwin said that with only about 350 condors remaining in the wild and many of them living in areas directly affected by the fires, their population could face devastating losses.

Bears and mountain lions, which also inhabit the burned areas, face displacement as they search for food, water, and shelter. This movement could lead to more encounters between wildlife and humans. 

Corwin cautioned residents returning to fire-affected areas to avoid approaching large injured animals and to contact wildlife authorities instead.

Animal shelters are full

While many residents have fled with their pets, others were unable to bring their animals, leaving them behind in the evacuation rush.

Animal shelters in the area are working tirelessly to care for the abandoned animals.

Pasadena Humane, one of the shelters providing emergency assistance, has taken in more than 400 animals since the wildfires started.

“We are starting to see many animals coming in with burns and injuries. These animals are being treated in our ICU. We are providing them with pain medications, wound care, fluid, and oxygen as needed,” the animal shelter said in a Facebook post.

The shelters are struggling to meet the needs of the animals. Rescue teams and volunteers are trying to reunite pets with their owners and provide care to those without homes.

The Department of Animal Care and Control of Los Angeles County released a list of animal shelters that will take animals affected by the evacuation orders.

Man rescues injured dog from rubble 

On Thursday, a man rescued a stray dog from the rubble of a burned neighborhood.

Rick Miller discovered the injured dog while checking on a friend’s home in Altadena, one of the areas devastated by the wildfires. The dog, with light-colored fur and brown eyes, appeared frightened and disoriented. 

Miller acted quickly, laying a blanket over the animal to comfort him while figuring out how to safely remove the dog from the dangerous area.

“It’s about caring for each other,” Miller told CNN, tearing up as he described the emotional scene. “Everyone needs help right now.”

Miller brought the dog to Pasadena Humane, where he was treated for burns and smoke exposure. It is unclear if the dog had an owner or was a stray.