Over the past decade, Southern Africa has seen an increase in the number of orphaned and displaced elephant calves. The reasons are primarily increased poaching of elephants and other large game, together with human encroachment and destruction of traditional elephant habitat.  It is this that led to the creation of an orphanage for baby elephants that would also provide an adoptive family structure, so important, for the physical and emotional well-being of orphaned baby elephants.  

It is to this orphanage that baby Khanyisa - a 3-month-old, orphaned, albino elephant calf - is brought after being caught in a wire snare.  As Adine and her team fight to save the young calf’s life, the question remains: will Khanyisa, who is very young and totally reliant on milk from human carers, be able to be accepted by this elephant herd and would they allow the human carers to continue to feed her. This is something that has never been attempted before. Secondly, would the elephant herd accept a foreign baby orphan into their family.  

The Jabulani herd is unique in that it comprises, for the most part, previously orphaned elephants.   This makes the herd more accepting of other orphans, compared to wild elephants. If the orphan is accepted by the herd, Adine and the team hope that the Jabulani-elephant herd can change the face of elephant rehabilitation in South Africa because it is best to have the orphans mentored and guided into adulthood with as little human interaction as possible.