Traumatized and lonely, baby elephant Gold cried for seven days straight after being abandoned by his mother and family, just because he smelled like a human. He suffered after falling into a well run by illegal loggers in Buon Don, Vietnam. Despite rescuers’ efforts to care for Gold and bring him back to his family, devastation came when he was found alone, unfamiliar and lonely.
Rescuers spent two weeks nurturing the young animal back to health in the hope he could be reunited with its family.
Heartbroken: The three-month-old baby, called Gold, was first separated from his mother after falling into a well dug by illegal loggers 20 miles from Buon Don in Vietnam
Rescuers spent two weeks nurturing the young animal back to health in the hope he could be reunited with its family
Volunteers tried to encourage Gold to rejoin his herd (pictured) by pushing the baby towards them – and at first it seemed like his attempt had been a success
Dr. Jake Veasey, a wildlife expert, attempted to assist Gold in rejoining his herd, but all efforts failed. Gold’s mother may not have recognized it after being missing for so long and smelling like human beings and breast milk. Gold lost his family after being trapped in a well caused by illegal loggers cutting down the rainforest.
Rescuers said that Gold’s mother may not have been in the herd at all, or she may not have recognised him as he had been away for two weeks and smelt of humans and human baby milk
The team’s joy turned to devastation when Gold was found alone less than twelve hours after being reintroduced to the wild, some distance from the area where he had been left
Gold lost his family in March after he got trapped in a well dug by illegal loggers, who cut down rainforest trees to sell timber
Gold now lives temporarily in the shelter, while Animals Asia builds a sanctuary. Gold’s mood is stressful and lonely, but hopefully when the sanctuary is completed, his condition will improve.
Alone: The baby elephant was found wandering alone in the Vietnam wilderness after being rejected by its herd
Gold had been showing signs of chronic stress – pacing back and forwards diagonally – and trying to suckle everything because he misses his mother’s teat
Volunteers have ordered specialist bottles for the baby elephant, and hope that when a new sanctuary is built, his health and wellbeing will improve
Currently there is just one other elephant in the temporary corral with Gold, but Veasey and his colleagues are planning on building herds there by rescuing elephants from Vietnam’s tourist trade
Although there is only one other elephant left in Gold’s corral, researchers are planning to rescue more elephants to build a new herd. The goal is to help Gold have a social environment where he can interact and thrive.