Community members in Rufunsa noticed a young elephant wandering alone. After a few days, they realised that his herd would not return, and they should call for help. GRI’s Wildlife Rescue Team rushed into action and the little calf was safely secured and loaded onto their trailer. During the long journey to Lusaka the team checked on him every couple of hours, supplying drinking water, fresh browse, and splashes of cold water.

As he grew, he became a loveable elephant who bonded with Tuko. The two were often seen side-by-side in the bush. The friendship served them both well as they were relocated together to the Kafue Release Facility in June 2021, when they were both ready for the next step in their journey. Ludaka has found his place in the herd at Kafue, forming bonds with several elephants. However, he stays close to Tuko. After enduring a little bullying in the early days, Ludaka has developed a sense of the elephants who he should avoid and those he can spar with. He is a healthy elephant whose future looks positive as he grows closer to his life back in the wild.

After 8 hours, they arrived at the Elephant Nursery and Ludaka rushed out of the trailer, into the boma. There, he spent a few hours calming down before being lured into the stable with some food. Ludaka quickly became comfortable in his surroundings and found comfort in the Rangers, his surrogate parents. Just like the other orphans, he would rush to his bottle whenever the Rangers approached with the feed.