Kwale

A couple of days ago I got a phone call from my mum; when she started speaking I knew immediately by the sound of her voice that there was something wrong; and I was right. My adopted baby elephant Kwale had just passed away. Today I received an email from the orphanage explaining what had happened.

Now Kwale was rescued when he was 10 months old when he was found trapped in a well. It was estimated that he was born in September 2011. Since he arrived at the orphanage he had been sick and had been on and off antibiotics; he just didn’t seem to be getting better. I went to see Kwale in July, and got a few moments of him standing up before he retreated to the corner in his room- covered in a blanket he looked adorable (If you go to my earlier blog “A home for baby elephants” you will see some pictures of him). When enquiring why he was so quiet, I was told he was sick, but that it was just a small infection- or so they thought.

Apparently, when an elephant is sick you can tell by the texture of their skin- Kwale’s was “flaky and thin” which was not a good sign. He also had loose stools, stomach pain and a high white blood cell count. He was given B12 and more antibiotics, but nothing seemed to be making a difference. On the 26^th of October he refused his milk, and was barely eating- it was then that they put him on life support; he was too weak to even stand. The following day, they realised that although Kwale had been fighting, he wasn’t strong enough. Instead of prolonging his suffering, the hard decision was made to turn his life support off. On the 28^th he was finally in peace. After his death an autopsy was carried out and it was found that his large intestine was injured, which was most likely caused from when he fell down the well. It was covered in necrotic tissue which meant that the necessary nutrients were not being absorbed.

The vet and all people involved at the orphanage did everything they could to save Kwale- there was no way to know that this had happened and there was nothing they could have done different to have saved him.

I am sad; he may not be a “pet” that I can keep in my garden, and I only saw him twice- but I always knew he was mine. When I went home during my holidays I always looked forward to going to see my elephant. So I will miss my “big little baby”.

The funds that were paid for Kwale are now being transferred to his room and play mate Ngasha. This orphanage does a wonderful job, and I just keep reminding myself that he at least had a couple of years of unconditional love from his four legged and two legged family. If it hadn’t been for them, he would have died in that well.

Rest In Peace Kwale xox