Elephant who Returned to the Wild Visits Rescuer after Becoming a Mom

• Sunyei was rescued as a newborn 20 years ago by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
• Thanks to her caretakers, she was able to return to the wild in 2009.
• She has since visited her human caretakers again to show off her new baby!

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Sunyei was just a newly born elephant when she was found 20 years ago — stranded, alone, and orphaned in the wild in Africa.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya helped rescue and care for her.

The trust’s nursery head keeper, Benjamin, filled the mom’s role for her and other orphaned elephants. He made sure to care for their health, welfare, and happiness.

Sunyei eventually grew independent and was able to return to the wild in 2009.

Over a decade later, everyone at the sanctuary received a pleasant surprise. It turns out that Sunyei had never forgotten her caretakers!

The sweet elephant emerged from the wild to visit Benjamin — and introduce her new baby!

Simply magical 🐘

Head Keeper Benjamin catches up with an orphaned elephant he helped raise, who has been successfully reintroduced back to the wild but came back to say 'hello'. pic.twitter.com/dZcdg8ahOG— Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (@SheldrickTrust) August 30, 2021

“That a fully grown, wild-living elephant had the desire to introduce a new baby that very same morning to the human family that raised her, speaks volumes about their intelligence and their sense of family,” Rob Brandford, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s executive director, told The Dodo. “We can think of no other reason than she returned to a place of safety to show off her new baby to her keepers, with whom she still maintains close bonds!”

Sunyei has since visited them several times more.

It was thanks to her caretakers that Sunyei was able to grow up healthy and eventually return to the wild. Now that she is bringing up a new generation, she wants to show her gratitude to her human family by letting them be a part of her new baby’s life.

Brandford added that during Sunyei’s regular visits, “Any interactions her keepers enjoy with her are always on her terms. That’s what makes this moment so very special … that she chose to share this moment with Benjamin and trusted him to do so.”

Source: The Dodo