Orphaned Baby Elephant Adopted By Human Mother

Lilongwe, Malawi – As of this writing, my son is 7 1/2 months old. He gets up at 5.30 AM to nurse, and I put him back to sleep in my bed. He’s little, so he fits. Jenny Webb’s 7 1/2-month-old baby still wakes up every two hours for a bottle. A 6 liter bottle. And Jenny Webb had to put a huge mattress on her living room floor so that she and her 220 pound baby could sleep together.

Of course, Jenny Webb’s baby is an elephant. Mine’s just the regular human kind.

When an abandoned baby elephant was found by park rangers in February, the calf was about two weeks old. Rangers searched the surrounding areas for the small elephant’s heard, but to no avail. Since none of Malawi’s national parks could afford to keep the 220 pound bundle of joy, 48-year-old Webb adopted him. Webb is the founder of Jumbo Foundation, an orphanage for larger animals.

The calf, who was found in the tall grass by a riverbed, is fittingly named Moses, and was two weeks old when he was found by local rangers. Webb reported to NBC News that Moses’ mother was likely killed my poachers.

The illegal killing of elephants is still rampant in Africa, where conservationists believe that tens of thousands of the animals are being killed each year for the ivory of their tusks.

Since Moses’ adoption, the calf and his new mama have settled into a routine. Webb placed a huge mattress on the living room floor of her Malawi house, and that’s where she and Moses sleep. Generally, baby elephants reside under their mothers to protect their soft skin from the sun and heat. Webb rubs Moses with moisturizer and sunscreen, and emulates the feeling of protection by keeping the calf covered with a blanket.

In the night, Moses will get up and plod around the house until Webb wakes up and gives him a bottle. The calf drinks about 24 liters of infant formula – fortified with coconut milk and 14 other vitamins and ingredients – per day. Webb says that she and the calf already have a special bond. “Elephants are extremely sensitive,” said Webb. “It amazed me. We think of elephants as big, strong creatures but they are very emotional. Moses picks up on my feelings. If I am sad, he is nurturing. If I am angry, he quickly gets upset.”

Moses weighs in at about 100 kilograms and each day drinks 24 litres of an infant formula that is boosted with coconut milk and 14 other ingredients.

Raising Moses is a full-time job, and Webb has two assistants who help her take care of the infant elephant. Webb takes him for walks, lets him play outside, and makes sure he doesn’t eat things he’s not ready for yet. She is currently raising funds to build an African-style corral for Moses … by the time he is two years old, he will no longer be able to fit through the door to get in the house.

Webb is taking care of Moses with insight and support from veterinarians and from the Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia, which for 16 years has offered similar support to baby elephants.

When Moses is five years old and completely weaned, Webb plans to re-introduce him to the wild, possibly near the area where he was found.