When 11-month-old elephant calf Boteti was orphaned, Botswana’s drought had become so severe, the infant was close to starvation.

Her mother, in her dying moments, had brought Boteti to the edge of near-dry waterhole to drink. There, utterly depleted, she collapsed and died in front of her calf.

Infant Boteti with her mother shortly before her mother’s tragic death.

Credit: Camelthorn Farmstead

This was the scene our team discovered along the dried-up Boteti River in the Makgadikgadi National Park as a deadly drought destroyed wildlife populations.

When Boteti was found by our team, she was so hungry she was attempting to eat her dead mother’s tail in a desperate bid to fill her belly.

Elephants have been proven to grieve their dead, experiencing similar emotions to humans when losing a beloved member of their herd.

If they are calves, like Boteti, their chance of survival is slim.

If you have been following our work, you will know we are implementing drought-alleviating solutions along the Boteti River in northern parts of the park – but these solutions have come too late for little Boteti’s mother.

For Boteti, however, there is a sliver of hope: You, and our partner, Elephant Havens.

 Please, help us give this baby elephant a fighting chance of survival.

Grieving Boteti awaiting rescue beside the carcass of her mother.

Credit: Camelthorn Farmstead

It seems Boteti’s mother walked for days in the scorching heat to bring her baby to water, ultimately collapsing and dying on the banks of the near-dry Boteti River.

Our team witnessed the devastating scene. They rushed to Boteti’s side, staying with her for hours until help arrived in the form of Elephant Havens – a dedicated elephant orphanage located two and a half hours away.

Young elephants are incredibly fragile both physically and emotionally, particularly those that have experienced heartache and stress like little Boteti. They are entirely dependent on their mothers, and without them, their rate of survival is low – but Elephant Havens is determined to give Boteti everything possible to survive.

Boteti needs special milk formula, dedicated care and emotional support if she has any hope of surviving the trauma of being orphaned.

Credit: Camelthorn Farmstead

Boteti and 12 other orphans in Elephant Havens’ care must be bottle-fed a special formula every three hours to survive. Because calves stay with their mothers – males for up to 20 years, and females for all their lives – receiving emotional support is just as important.

People from the local community are trained to care for elephants until they are weaned and introduced into a soft-release area. Here they remain for another five years, and bond with one another to form strong family units. These units will endure when they are ultimately released into safe, protected areas.

Before they are released into the protected Okavango Delta, the elephants are fitted with satellite collars that provide hourly updates on their location. This helps ensure that they stay a safe distance from communities, reducing human-wildlife conflict.

Credit: Elephant Havens

Please help us feed Boteti and her orphan friends so they can grow big and strong enough to join a new herd.

Your donation will be the light and warmth these sweet orphans so dearly need.

For every $370 (roughly £290) you donate, we can feed Boteti for an entire month, providing her with the life-sustaining milk she needs to survive during this critical part of her development.

For every $4,700 (approximately £3,560) we raise, we can feed all 13 orphans for a whole month.

Without the experts at Elephant Havens, Boteti and her friends would stand little chance of survival – but even they cannot do it without the support of wildlife heroes like you.

Please show these vulnerable orphans your compassion today.