A baby elephant has been rescued from an oil palm plantation in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The calf was rescued by the Okomu National Park, in collaboration with the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation, on November 30.
Conservator of Park at the Park, Mr Osaze Lawrence, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
He said the male calf, believed to be less than two months old, was wandering alone inside the Okomu Oil Palm Company plantation.
According to him, workers quickly stabilised the animal and alerted park authorities.
“It was a very young elephant, less than two months old. They gave it water, tried to revive it and immediately called us,” he said.
The Conservatory of added that rangers and African Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation personnel retrieved the calf and attempted to reunite it with its herd inside the elephant home range.
“It walked some metres into the wild on its own and we thought it had returned to the family.
“But a commercial motorcyclist later reported seeing the disoriented calf alone by the roadside.
“At that point, it became clear it could not find its herd. The best option was to rescue, rehabilitate and stabilise it,” he said.
He noted that the calf was now under 24-hour veterinary care at an ANI camp.
“We are feeding it with the recommended milk, giving medication and monitoring its strength. It is stabilising and doing very well,” Lawrence said.
He praised the synergy among national authorities, ANI, Okomu Oil Palm Company, veterinarians, and international experts.
Meanwhile, the rescue has drawn an international attention, including that of UK-born wildlife rescue specialist Liz O’Brien, who flew in from Zambia, her first time ever in Nigeria, to join the effort.
With 15 years of experience rescuing elephants across Africa, O’Brien described the case as historic.
“In Nigeria, they have never rescued an elephant like this before. This is the first of its kind,” she said.
