Baby Elephant Reunites with Herd After Unexpected Visit to South African Family's Home

An unexpected guest appeared at a South African game reserve when a 10-day-old baby elephant separated from her herd and wandered into a family’s garden.

The young female, affectionately named Tom, traveled nearly 30 miles before arriving on Tuesday night at the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve in Zululand.

The game reserve’s owner, Francoise Maldy Anthony, and her staff were astonished when Tom entered their living room.

They provided the baby elephant with food and water while rangers searched for her mother. In a remarkable twist, it turned out that Tom’s mother was an elephant that Anthony’s late husband had rescued years earlier.

How did she get here? The female baby elephant, named Tom after the member of staff who found her in the garden, was estimated to be just over one week old when it got lost and walked into the living room. Source: Barcroft Media

Baby elephants rarely get separated from their herds, so Tom’s journey to the game reserve was a rare and remarkable event. According to Anthony, who has owned the account for 15 years, she had never witnessed anything like it.

New pet: Francoise Malby Anthony, the owner of the ranch, plays with her surprise guest in the living room. Source: Barcroft Media

The staff at Thula Thula allowed Tom to roam freely while minimizing contact to avoid rejection by her mother.

Lost little one: Francoise Maldy Anthony has owned the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve ranch for 15 years but said she has. I have never experienced anything like it. Source: Barcroft Media

When the mother and baby were finally reunited, Tom appeared reluctant to leave, even trying to follow the van as it pulled away.

Tiny dancer: After wandering into the garden, the ten-day-old elephant makes its way into the Anthony family’s living room. Source: Barcroft Media

Tom nom: Game rangers Shereen Bond and David Bozas feed the distressed baby elephant in an attempt to calm it down while its mother is tracked down. Source: Barcroft Media

Overnight monitoring confirmed that Tom was successfully integrated back into her herd. Francoise Maldy Anthony, now living alone after losing her husband, conservationist and novelist Lawrence Anthony, recalled the extraordinary experience, which some belief was more than a coincidence.