Albino elephant Calf Khanyisa update – 10 April – Lab results

News on Khanyisa

We are happy to confirm that Khanyisa’s lab results confirm no trace of any bacterial infection. We needed to rule out any possibility of this, given her recent days of experiencing ongoing diarrhea.

Although her dung has been loose or watery, she has never had a fever and has continued to have a good appetite and decent energy, although a bit less than her usual perky self.

Her condition could well be due to emotional stress, as it started shortly after being in the physical company of an adult elephant for the first time since her terrifying ordeal just three months ago. Seeing them, touching them and smelling them up close may have stirred up memories of her mother whom she will no doubt miss so much, and it could have reminded her once again of the traumatic experiences she must have endured.

We will never know if she perhaps got separated from her herd and then got trapped in a snare, or if her herd may have abandoned her once she became trapped. Sadly, there are many questions we will never have answers to, but we do know she suffered for at least four days in a horrific snare, and somehow managed to beat all the odds and survive.

Elephants are extremely intelligent animals that experience lots of emotions, which are often linked to their physical wellbeing, especially when they are so young, making them one of the hardest wild species to hand rear.

So perhaps it is linked to her emotional space right now, but it could also be her body’s reaction to teething.

After consideration and agreement by our expert elephant advisory team, we are continuing with her gradual integration process with the Jabulani herd, knowing that she does not have any bacterial infection. We are hopeful this will continue to reassure her emotionally and build up her (and their) confidence in their company.

We will continue to monitor her condition closely and seriously, as both teething and emotional stress can be detrimental to a young calf’s health.

Thank you so much for everyone’s concern and love for Khanyisa! We are very happy to share this update with you.

Enjoy this little video clip of her taken earlier during the day.

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