Baby Joe, the orphaned pygmy elephant at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Centre near Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, finds comfort and fun again with his ‘surrogate mum,’ keeper Augustin David.
Joe, who lost his mother and other relatives to suspected poisoning two weeks ago, is now bonding closely with Augustin.
Just three months old, Joe was heartbroken and distressed when he was found nuzzling his dead mother in a futile attempt to wake her.
His visible distress moved wildlife officials to tears. Joe’s mother was among 14 elephants that recently died in the tropical rainforest of Malaysia, victims of a mysterious poisoning spree. Without intervention, Joe would have likely stayed by his mother’s side until he starved.
Joe, who had lost weight and may have ingested poison through his mother’s milk, now receives 24-hour care at the nature reserve. However, experts feared he might still succumb to a broken heart.
Thankfully, Joe has formed a remarkable bond with his keeper, Augustin. Playing, feeding, and caring for Joe has become a full-time job for Augustin, who feeds him a unique formula milk every two hours, even throughout the night.
Joe enjoys running around the compound but dislikes bath time, preferring to rub his itchy, shedding skin against anything he can find.
Augustin noted, “He loves suckling people’s thumbs – just like a human baby, it calms him. But he doesn’t like showers, so we wash him in his pen.”
Dr. Diana Ramirez, the vet overseeing Joe’s recovery, cautioned that while Joe shows a strong will to survive, he is not out of danger yet. “Sometimes baby elephants can look OK and then die suddenly.
They are very prone to colic, which can be fatal quickly. We can be more confident once he’s past six or seven months.”
The mysterious deaths of Joe’s mother and 13 other elephants are still under investigation. Experts speculate that the elephants may have ingested toxic substances to protect palm oil crops from pests.
These elephants, found in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve near palm oil fields, showed no signs of poaching, as their tusks were intact, and there were no gunshot wounds.
If Joe pulls through, he will likely remain at the 280-acre Lok Kawi park, where he won’t be lonely. The reserve is home to 16 other injured and orphaned elephants who will become Joe’s new family.
