The animal world is the hardest place – especially for a newborn baby – but that’s exactly why it offers the most inspiring stories. These orphans, which are highly vulnerable to the cruel nature and the rejection of their fellow humans, have made the greatest stories by teaching people how to never give up!
Khanyisa, which means “sunshine” in the Tsonga dialect, is an adorable albino baby elephant forced to go through all of this. But in the end, life also repaid her with so much love and comfort. Here is her touching story!
From the beginning, life was easy for the little elephant, for the simple fact that she was born differently. Fate is often sealed for an albino animal in the wilderness, even before it begins.
But life is even worst for this innocent soul. When she was only 4 months old, she lost her mother to po.ac.hing. And she came close to letting her go too! But Khanyisa proved that you don’t have to be too big to be strong, and she beat all the odds!
Trapped by po.ac.hers for several days, the exhausted elephant was unable to eat or drink. Furthermore, her in.ju.ries were quite severe, and her life was in danger. But thankfully, a group of rangers found her in time, and they took her to a reserve in Mpumalanga, not far from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Soon after, Khanyisa was transferred to Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development, a famous elephant orphanage in the African continent, filled with dedicated and determined volunteers to help these wonderful creatures. Here, Khanyisa finally found the love and solace she was looking for. But mostly, she found a family!
Most of the elephants here have also experienced the same difficult life as Khanyisa, so they immediately accepted her into the herd. An elderly female, Lammie, stepped forward and carried the confused baby elephant’s protective wings and cared for her as if she were her own daughter.
Adine Roode, the reserve’s founder, said: “I think that’s part of the reason they accept orphans because they know how it feels like. “Lammie played an important role in Khanyisa’s happiness. She helped Khanyisa stay calm.”
In a touching scene, the orphanage shared how the herd welcomed Khanyisa. She just received the warmest greetings and the videos showing how to protect these majestic creatures!
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