The Elephant Orphanage Project (EOP) is working to rescue, rehabilitate and release elephants that have been orphaned as a direct result of poaching.

In 2024, Colchester Zoological Society gave a contribution of £10,000 to help provide food and medical treatment for the orphans and to support the wage of one of the elephant caregivers, Aaron, who has worked at the project since 2012.

At the end of 2024, the Elephant Orphanage Project’s had 26 elephants undergoing care or monitoring, spanning the six stages of release:

  • 17 elephants in rehabilitation (5 elephants in Stage 1 rehabilitation at the Lilayi Elephant Nursery and 12 elephants in Stage 3 at the Kafue Release Facility who remain inside the protective boma overnight).
  • 9 elephants actively monitored (6 of these in Stage 5 spending nights outside the boma, remaining with the orphan herd less than 50% of their time and with one calf born in the wild, and 3 in Stage 6 living full time in the wild and being monitored).

Stage 5 elephant female Chamilandu and her herd continue to periodically visit the Stage 3 release phase orphans to socialise on their daily walks and, throughout the last quarter of the year, maintained a consistent home range within 5 – 7 km radius of the Release Facility. These encounters evidence the strong bonds forged between the elephants and the trust they have built over time.

Some of the Stage 5 orphans; Tafika, Rufunsa, and Mosi, have begun to explore other areas of the Kafue National Park, likely in search of more abundant and nutritious food sources. This break away from Chamilandu’s leadership and expansion of their range marks their growing independence and confidence in navigating the wild. Tafika ventured south and explored overlapping ranges with wild herds; this behaviour is essential for long-term survival and adaptation in male African elephants.

After five months of exploring the wild, Stage 6 sub-adult bull Musolole, now 13.5 years, made an unexpected return to the Kafue Release Facility, reuniting with the orphans, likely in search of water due to the drought. He had been spotted in a group of around 50 wild elephants just 2 weeks before his return in excellent body condition. 

In November, an orphaned elephant was captured. He was in poor condition, which is currently very common during this extreme drought, but he was already of weaned age, so rather than go to Lilayi Elephant Nursery, he was immobilised to provide some basic medical treatment and immune boosters and relocated to an area closer to the National Park, away from settlements with more plentiful vegetation. Subsequent reports by the monitoring Rangers confirm he joined with a herd and moved off towards the Park.