Late last year, community members alerted Okomu National Park after spotting a frail baby forest elephant wandering alone within the park’s boundaries. He was only a few weeks old, far too young to survive on his own. Rangers searched the thick Okomu forest in an effort to reunite him with his herd, but his family was never found. With no other option, the decision was made to rescue him and begin the intensive process of raising him by hand.
Many hands came together. The National Park Service, the ANI Foundation and Wild Africa stepped in to provide urgent treatment, specialised nutrition and round-the-clock care. Everyday that he survived was seen as a success. Today, this little elephant is stable and growing stronger every day.
But while this rescue offers hope, it also points to a much harder reality. African forest elephants are critically endangered, and a calf found alone is a warning sign of the threats they face every day: habitat loss, increasing human-wildlife conflict and, most alarmingly, poaching for ivory.
Nigeria has become a major hub for illegal ivory trafficking and as a result, their African forest elephant population has plummeted by 73% over the past three decades. Over 1,200 individuals used to roam its lush forests and today, only an estimated 300–400 remain.
This rescue story is a reminder that wildlife and wild spaces are worth protecting, and a call to act now to keep elephants together and alive for future generations. We all have a role to play: Report wildlife crime, say no to poaching, protect natural habitats and give wildlife the space they need.
Because protecting nature, protects us all.
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