On 4th April 2003, a male baby elephant was reported having been found roaming in Isiolo valley by Will Roberts. Immediately the head of security and patrol team were tasked to link the baby with other elephant herd within the vicinity. They met with very little success, the baby elephant being abandoned by the herd immediately and was adopted a herd of impalas! We can only assume that his mother might have been a victim to poaching outside Lewa. We believe he linked up with a herd of 100 elephants that came walking through the gap and back into Lewa. He was monitored closely for three days before a decision was made to rescue him.

On 8th April 2003, KWS vets, and the Sheldrick Foundation staff flew up to Lewa and with John Pameri Head of LWC Security and the rest of the LWC rescue team, deployed, found the baby and immobilised him. It was with great shock that we found wounds on the left shoulder and under the spinal cord.

He was treated with antibiotics and the wounds were cleaned before he was moved on to the back of a Land Cruiser and later loaded onto the waiting aircraft. He was flown to Nairobi where he is recovering well at the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant orphanage.

The baby elephant was named after the LWC ranger that found him; Lokimathi.

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