Abandoned Elephant Calf Formed Unlikely and Heartwarming Bond

Jessica Cole | March 31, 2019

Out in the wild, elephants depend on the safety of numbers for survival. Elephant herds provide protection for its members, especially for its newborn elephants who need help with everything. So, when this baby elephant was abandoned by his “family,” his future looked terribly bleak.

But fate had something else in store for this young elephant that no one could have predicted. And it involved an unlikely and heartwarming friendship that would give the newborn elephant a new lease on life.

Orphaned Elephant Calf

When South African wildlife rescuers found the newborn elephant all by himself in the wild, he was in critical condition. It was truly a miracle that he had even managed to survive for days on his own.

Luckily, the wildlife rescuers were fiercely determined to nurse the baby elephant back to good health. But they would also soon learn that sometimes the best medicine is simply having companionship—even if it comes from an unusual source.

What about the Herd!?

The wildlife rescuers believed that the baby elephant would be better-off with his own kind and his herd family. So, they made multiple attempts to reunite the abandoned elephant calf with his herd in Hluhluwe’s Bonamanzi Game Reserve.

Unfortunately, the baby elephant’s “family” refused to take him back and take him in. So, the South African wildlife rescuers ultimately had no other choice but to nurse and raise the elephant calf themselves.

“Ellie” the Elephant

In August of 2015, the orphaned elephant calf was taken to the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve’s wildlife rehabilitation center in Zululand, South Africa, to be nursed fully back to good health. He was just 2 weeks old. And once he was at that custom-made sanctuary, which was actually the first of its kind in the area, he was officially named “Ubuntu,” even though everyone eventually affectionately referred to him as “Ellie.”

And as soon as he arrived at the South African wildlife rehabilitation center, he underwent thorough medical assessments to really determine what was medically wrong with him. And that was when the veterinarians discovered why the elephant calf was most likely left for dead by his “family.”

Fighting for His Life

It was truly a miracle that Ellie was found and rescued when he was. Why? The abandoned baby elephant turned out to be suffering from an infected umbilical hernia on top of other health-compromising and life-threatening ailments.

Without expert medical attention and treatment, Ellie surely would have unfortunately died all alone out in the wild. In fact, 99% of sufferers of infected umbilical hernias die. Luckily for Ellie, he was found just in time by the dedicated rescuers and veterinarians.

Dedicated and Determined Team

Ellie’s rescuers were fiercely determined to nurse him fully back to good health. In fact, at the wildlife rehabilitation center, Ellie received 24-hour watch and care.

Unfortunately, the situation became much more complicated for Ellie’s health. It turned out that Ellie’s immune system was adding another problem. So, Ellie’s rescuers and veterinarians started to wonder whether or not the orphaned elephant calf could truly be saved.

Condition Worsened

Not only was Ellie battling an infected umbilical hernia, but he was now suffering from a milk allergy as well. His immune system had literally developed an intolerance to the milk that the veterinarians were hoping to nurse and feed him with. So, he was literally rejecting the very thing that he needed to become healthy.

As a result, the veterinarians even made special orders for different types of milk from Zimbabwe and Kenya. But Ellie’s body and immune system were simply not taking to them at all. So, everything was still looking pretty grim for the abandoned baby elephant.

A Special Milk Formula

Fortunately, the rescuers and veterinarians eventually came up with a special milk concoction that was infused with minerals, protein, and coconut oil. And luckily, that specially-made milk formula for Ellie was not rejected by the orphaned elephant baby’s body and immune system.

And so, as Ellie started to ingest the milk that he desperately needed to recover physically, his health condition began to improve noticeably. Sadly, it was only his physical health condition that seemed to improve and stabilize.

Very Low Spirits

Even though Ellie was clearly in a safer place and in a better condition under the expert and loving care and watch of all the rescuers and veterinarians in the wildlife rehabilitation center, the abandoned baby elephant appeared to be still quite depressed and withdrawn—and understandably so. After all, Ellie was left for dead by his own kind and family.

In fact, Karen Trendler, one of the dedicated rescuers who were nursing Ellie back to good health, said: “[The elephant] was particularly weak and particularly ill. He wasn’t showing much interest in doing anything. He was very lethargic, very disinterested.”

There Was Emotional Trauma

Ellie was tragically left for dead by his elephant “family.” And elephants are known to be quite social animals that depend largely on their herds for all types of support. So, it became clear that Ellie was still suffering—emotionally and psychologically—from the loss and rejection that he had experienced when he was born.

And who could blame Ellie? He did suffer a painfully major loss. So, even though the baby elephant’s physical condition and health were improving thanks to the special milk formula and medicines, his emotional and psychological states were clearly declining, despite all of the love and affection that he received from his human caregivers as well.
So, his rescuers had to come up with a solution. Ellie needed help with recovering and adjusting. But little did his rescuers realize that the “solution” would have a much greater impact than any of them could have imagined on Ellie’s quality of life.

A Shelter for Other Species, Too

The Thula Thula Private Game Reserve’s wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary did not house just baby elephant Ellie, though. In addition to functioning as a refuge for many poaching victims, like rhinos, it also housed African buffaloes, leopards, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, and even crocodiles. So, Ellie was far from alone in the literal sense.

However, Ellie did not seem to have any real interest in befriending any of the other animals and creatures that called the sanctuary “home” as well. That situation would soon change, though, as soon as Ellie got introduced to one resident animal in particular.

When Ellie Met Duma

In an effort to help Ellie recover emotionally and psychologically, the wildlife rescuers decided to introduce him to “Duma,” an adult and male German shepherd dog that lived in the sanctuary as well.

Duma used to be a police dog, but he was also known for being super attentive and affectionate to other creatures, including wild animals. So, Ellie’s rescuers were hoping that Duma’s companionship would be able to lift up the abandoned elephant’s spirits. But there were no guarantees, of course. I mean, what would make them believe that the unusual pair of an elephant and a dog would truly bond in a meaningful way!?

Canine Companionship from Duma

And fortunately for the rescuers and Ellie himself, especially, the plan worked. It actually worked better than they had anticipated. Ellie appeared to be much happier immediately. The introduction seemed to have improved the abandoned elephant’s quality of life instantly.

In fact, the rescuer Karen Trendler noted: “We introduced Duma and the elephant in the sandpile, and it immediately cheered the elephant up. And it also had a massive impact on the elephant in that he suddenly started getting a little bit of interest in life again. And over the past few weeks they’ve been growing this relationship.”

Miraculously-Revitalized Spirits

Even though Ellie was still in recovery physically, he seemed to have finally gotten over his depression and lethargy thanks to his newfound friend Duma. Ellie’s spirits had definitely been lifted.

And it was quite apparent especially when the two friends were found playing and spending time together in the sanctuary. It even seemed like Duma’s simple presence alone could put a big smile on Ellie’s cute face.
The animal pair looked beyond adorable together. It was quite a heartwarming scene to watch the two friends hang out.

Best Friends Forever

And it was not just Ellie who was changing for the better due to the new friendship, either. Duma was undergoing a change, too, thanks to the new relationship. Duma had become Ellie’s surrogate father in a way, making sure that Ellie was safe and sound at all times.

As a matter of fact, it was reported by the wildlife rehabilitation center: “We have a hard time keeping Duma away from the elephant. He’s become incredibly protective.” Duma could always be found bringing Ellie sticks to play with or giving Ellie tender snuggles to comfort him.
The newfound friendship definitely helped Ellie to recover both emotionally and physically.

The Two Inseparable Animal Friends

And thanks to the unlikely bond that Ellie and Duma formed with each other, Ellie’s health and wellbeing drastically improved. Not only was Ellie physically regaining his strength, but he genuinely seemed to be emotionally content as well. It was clear that the friendship was bringing good health and happiness.

The wildlife rescuer Karen Trendler even admitted: “Against all odds, this little elephant is still with us.” However, that new reality also meant that the wildlife rehabilitation center’s rescuers had to carefully plan for Ellie’s long-term future, of course.

True Soul Mates

What were they going to do with Ellie in the long run? At first, the plan was to rehabilitate Ellie until he was fully recovered. And once Ellie had the physical strength to hold his own, he would potentially be released and introduced to a herd of other orphaned elephants to join and live with.

However, the situation was a lot more complicated for Ellie. Why? Ellie and Duma had formed quite the relationship. So, the rescuers and veterinarians had to really think long and hard about the best course of action for Ellie’s future, specifically.

No More Pressure

Fortunately, though, because Ellie had Duma to give him the emotional support and social interactions that the rescuers and veterinarians believed that the baby elephant needed, there was less of an urgency to release the abandoned baby elephant back into the wild to join a herd of elephants as soon as possible.

Everything seemed fine enough for Ellie to stay until he was fully recovered at least, so there was no rush to return him to the wild. Ellie appeared to have had all his needs met at the wildlife rehabilitation center.
Or at least that was how it looked on the outside.

An Unexpected Turn for the Worse

Just when the rescuers and veterinarians felt like they could finally breathe out huge sighs of relief because Ellie’s health and wellbeing both seemed to have upward trajectories, an unexpected emergency and misfortune befell Ellie and his dedicated human caregivers.

In January of 2016, after months and months of progress, Ellie’s health condition suddenly took a real turn for the worse. But luckily for Ellie, his human caregivers were prepared to fight to keep him alive—even if that meant reaching out to strangers to get outside help.

An Urgent Plea for Help

Although it originally seemed like Ellie was finally in the clear thanks to the special milk formula, all the other medicines, and Duma’s companionship, the elephant calf’s septicemia infection unexpectedly relapsed and spread at an alarmingly high rate. His human caregivers were, again, not sure whether or not Ellie would survive.

In fact, the situation was so dire that the wildlife rescuer Karen Trendler reached out for help on social media: “We need to get IV colloids bought thru for a collapsed elephant calf.”

A Sad and Untimely End

Even though Ellie fought hard to beat the infection, he tragically died just a few days after his septicemia infection relapsed and spread. He had only been at the wildlife rehabilitation center for 5 short months, too.

Once the wildlife rehabilitation center announced Ellie’s untimely death on social media, it became flooded with an outpouring of condolences, naturally. After all, Ellie was such a “brave and tough” baby elephant, as he would continue to be remembered.
And so, it would seem that Ellie’s short, yet beautiful and inspiring, story would end once he died, right!?

Ellie’s Free-Roaming Spirit

The wildlife rehabilitation center’s rescuers and veterinarians who had taken such excellent care of Ellie were all overwhelmed with “deep sadness and so many tears”—and understandably so—only finding comfort in knowing that they helped Ellie to experience true happiness by taking good care of him and introducing him to Duma.

Ellie left such a lasting impression on them, reminding them of the meaningful importance of the work that they all do. In fact, the wildlife rehabilitation center even affectionately wrote following Ellie’s untimely death: “Ellie has been returned to the wild buried in a special place at Thula where his spirit can roam with the herd.”

Never Forgotten

Although Ellie died at such a young age, his legacy would continue to live on. He would never be forgotten by his adoptive human family and his countless fans who had all been deeply touched by Ellie’s life story and legacy of remaining kind and loving in the face of hardships and obstacles.

And of course, Duma would surely never forget Ellie and their times together. Their story of friendship was truly inspiring—and would continue to inspire and touch others, for sure.
But what exactly happened to Duma after Ellie’s untimely death?

New Opportunity and New Friendship

Of course, no one could ever take Ellie’s place. Ellie was truly one of a kind.

However, Duma continued to serve the wildlife rehabilitation center as the resident “canine companion.” And the veterinarians actually turned to him for assistance with helping an orphaned baby rhino to recover and adjust.
And luckily for the baby rhino, Duma’s heart was big enough to make room for a new friend after Ellie’s untimely death.

Nandi the Baby Rhino

Even though the orphaned baby black rhino Nandi was not abandoned by her family, like Ellie had been, Nandi had a very rough background as well. Her mother had been brutally murdered by poachers. So, she was an orphan just like Ellie, nonetheless.

And because she was an orphan, the wildlife rescuers knew that she needed some assistance with adjusting to life in the wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary. Luckily for Nandi, there was a resident canine companion that had quite the track record.
The wildlife rescuers and veterinarians turned to Duma for assistance, of course. He had been entrusted with helping the orphaned baby black rhino with dealing with her recent traumatic experience.

When Nandi Met Duma

Nandi belonged to an endangered species, being a black rhino. And that was why poachers had coldly murdered her mother, making her an orphan at such a young age.

And Duma could clearly sense that the baby black rhino needed extra love and attention after such a devastatingly traumatic experience. So, the sweet German shepherd did something super special and thoughtful by bringing a stuffed animal toy to give to Nandi to play with when meeting her for the first time.
Sweet, right!?

A Game of Friendly Frolicking

Duma had gifted Nandi an adorable and cuddly toy puppy. And from there, the rest was history, as the saying goes.

The two instantly became new friends, playing and frolicking around with each other—the two friends’ favorite activity.
But many onlookers were concerned about what would happen once Nandi grew up. I mean, rhinos are significantly larger and stronger when they are fully grown.

A Perceptive Canine

The two new friends were so cute together. And when videos and photos of Nandi and Duma’s playing and frolicking around together in the wildlife sanctuary surfaced on the Internet, the animal duo quickly became an Internet sensation, going viral worldwide.

However, some of the animal duo’s adoring fans started to wonder how cute and harmless their frolicking would become once Nandi grew up. Would Duma be safe? Rhinos can do quite a lot of damage, after all.
The wildlife rehabilitation center’s staff knew better, though. Everyone at the center knew that Duma would be wise and aware enough to avoid danger since the smart canine had shown himself to be quite perceptive when it comes to reading such situations and anticipating such dangers.

Duma: “The Rhino Whisperer”

Despite concerns from outsiders, the staff members at the wildlife rehabilitation center were not worried at all. In fact, they stated: “Fortunately Duma has been reared with rhino and worked with a much larger black rhino, he is exceptional at reading their behavior and seems to know when to get out of the way. With the older rhino Duma would pick up that the rhino was going to charge even before we spotted the subtle changes.”

Duma was clearly gifted at befriending, comforting, interacting, and understanding other animals in need, even if the other animals happened to be of different species. However, as special as Duma’s ability to form bonds with creatures of other species was, he was not the only dog or animal that was able to cross such “barriers.”
Want to learn more about another special dog and pair?!

Bubbles the Elephant

This unlikely pair was also of an elephant and a dog. However, this friendship took place in another part of the world, even though the baby elephant Bubbles was from Africa, just like Ellie was, too.

And Bubbles had a tragic start in Africa as well, but her story did not end there. No, she had to venture farther to meet her canine friend. And this canine friend turned out to be more similar in age, actually, unlike Duma.

Adopted from Africa

Back in 1983, the baby elephant Bubbles was rescued in Africa after her elephant family was brutally attacked and murdered by poachers, leaving her an orphan, like Ellie and Nandi were also. Pretty tragic, right?! Well, Bubbles was actually one of the lucky elephants to have survived such an attack and to have found a safe home in the United States of America during a 20-year poaching epidemic in Africa between 1970 and 1989.

How did Bubbles get to the US, by the way? Well, the Myrtle Beach Safari decided to adopt Bubbles. And that was how Bubbles made it to South Carolina.
And so, Bubbles made the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean with promises of a safe home and a carefree life. But little did she know that she would be getting far more.

Bubbles in America

When Bubbles arrived in America, she was described as “small and helpless for an elephant.” She was only 42 inches tall and weighed only 340 pounds, at the time.

But she eventually thrived in her new home in America, despite concerns from her trainers who worried about how she would adjust to her new life in a wildlife park in South Carolina, eventually reaching her full height of 9 feet tall and weight of approximately 9,000 pounds. Wow!
She clearly flourished, even though she had lost her elephant family and her native home. And maybe that had something to do with her canine friend—a puppy. Yes, a tiny puppy!

Bella the Puppy

So, how did an African baby elephant living in a wildlife park meet a black Labrador retriever puppy named Bella? Well, in an effort to make Bubbles more comfortable at the wildlife park, a pool was built for her to wade around in.

And for whatever reason, the contractor who was tasked with the responsibility of building the pool had left a black Labrador retriever puppy at the wildlife park. And so, the wildlife park had become the young dog’s “home,” too.
And that was how the baby elephant and the tiny puppy ended up in the same place—and thanks to that pool, too, no less.

Bubbles and Bella Forever

As fate would have it, the baby elephant and the puppy would find each other in that wildlife park. And even though the two animals were from different places and were of different species, the two actually had quite a lot in common. I mean, both of them were orphans.

And so, Bubbles and Bella grew to become the closest of friends, despite being so different on the outside.
The pair would even go on to make a name for themselves as a duo, too.

A Famous Animal Duo

The unusual animal pair would eventually become a sensation with visitors. The two even became popular on the Internet. People really enjoyed watching Bubbles and Bella play with each other on the grounds of The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in the Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina.

The two really bonded thanks to their love of the water, as the wildlife park’s trainers noted: “The pool and eventually the [nearby] river presented these two the opportunity to interact in a way that developed a deep and lasting friendship.”

A Lifelong Friendship

Although Bubbles became famous on her own right, appearing in movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dr. Dolittle, it was quite clear that what made Bubbles truly happy and special was her loving relationship with Bella.

Bubbles loved playing her game of fetch with Bella in which she would throw a ball with her trunk into the water, so that Bella could jump off of her back and jump into the water to retrieve the ball. The pool and water both brought and kept them together.

An Unlikely Pair for the Ages

Even though Bubbles and Bella might have looked like the two could have never coexisted together in any way, the adorable animal duo really showed how true bonds and friendships run deeper than what can be seen on the outside.

Bubbles and Bella might have looked different on the outside, but the two shared similar pasts, loves, and natures—which helped to cement their relationship.
And so, in addition to being able to catch the animal duo playing fetch in the water, the two could also be found simply spending time together with Bella hitching a ride on her gentle giant of a friend. As the wildlife park’s staff observed: “They just love to romp around together.”
How very, very touching, right?!

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