NARRATOR:  These three
young elephants are
lucky to be alive.
 When they were still
babies, their mothers
were killed.
 Probably by poachers.
 If the calves hadn't been
rescued,
 they'd have perished.
 So now these helpless
orphans have new mothers,
 and they're people.
 These elephants and their
new caregivers
 have developed
a deep understanding
of one another.
(GROWLING)
 The calves will have to
learn all life's lessons
from their surrogate parents,
 if they're to have any hope
of returning to the wild.
 Nkala is three years old.
 He's playful and
forever curious.
(LAUGHING)
 He lives here in Zambia
in a purpose-built
elephant nursery
 with two older calves, called
Musolole and Zambezi.
(GROWLING)
With no natural relatives
to look after them,
 the orphans
are forming a new family.
 Like any children,
they love to play
and they're good at getting
themselves into trouble.
 The Lilayi Elephant Nursery
is just outside
 the Zambian capital,
Lusaka.
It's one of only a handful of
elephant orphanages
in all of Africa.
 When the orphans first
get here, they're starving
and traumatized.
 Rachael Murton runs
Zambia's Elephant
Orphanage Project.
MURTON: When they first join us,
when they've just
been rescued,
one of the first things
we do is let them
suckle our fingers,
because a finger is, I guess
the closest thing you're going
to get to mum, at that point.
And so that becomes a
huge source of comfort
to them.
It's a bonding thing,
making them feel secure.
(LAUGHS) And so
that's what they like
to do.
NARRATOR:  The nursery was
built close to Lusaka
 so the orphans can get
veterinary care
that would be unavailable
if the orphanage was
in the wilderness.
All three orphans came from
the Zambian bush.
These vast wild tracts
that are home to
23,000 elephants.
 This is also a stronghold
for some of Africa's
greatest wildlife.
 But people also live here.
 Elephants need large
territories
 and they
increasingly overlap
 with the growing human
population, leading to
conflict.
 Some elephants like to
eat villagers' crops.
 Faced with the loss of
their food, people
often retaliate.
 That's not the only
reason elephants are killed.
 Ivory fetches one-thousand
dollars a pound.
But a poachers' pay is so
small, that when they shoot
an elephant
they don't waste
a bullet on their calf.
 Elephants are the world's
biggest land mammals.
 Raising something that
will grow this big takes
time and dedication.
 The orphans have to be
bottle-fed every three hours.
 Day and night.
 Nkala is the latest
addition at the
orphanage.
 Villagers found him in the
bush, alone and starving.
 He was three months old.
 His mother, gone.
 Frightened calves are
wild animals who often
need sedating
before they can be
brought to safety.
 The keepers were able
to treat Nkala physically,
but his mental wounds
 have taken much
longer to heal.
 For over a month,
Nkala was depressed
and uninterested
in his new surroundings.
MURTON: And that is really
heartbreaking to see,
because
that's like they've
really given up.
But the keepers have
to be the ones
to reassure,
and make them feel loved,
make them feel comforted,
just, bit by bit,
encourage them to become
a bit more normal again.
That, given time, they're able
to heal both physically
and emotionally.
NARRATOR:  Nkala recovers
day by day
 and he's becoming more
and more active and playful.
 He's learning how
to feed himself.
 And to take a bath.
 But he still hasn't got
the hang of drinking
using his trunk.
 With no mother for guidance,
his answer is to just stick
his whole head in the water.
 In the wild, elephants
make some of the most
devoted mothers
 in the animal kingdom.
 This infant is just
a few months old.
 Its mother constantly
stays in close contact,
 guiding and reassuring
her calf.
 Elephants have the
longest gestation
of any mammal.
This mother carried her
baby through 22 months
of pregnancy.
 Her investment in her
young is enormous.
 Her calf will be dependent
on her milk for the next
four years.
 Youngsters need guiding
socially until they're
teenagers,
and the bond between
mothers and offspring
lasts a lifetime.
Experiments have shown
that elephants can still
recognize their mother's smell
 even after 30 years
of separation.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
 It's 11:00 p.m.
For the keepers
at the nursery,
 their day's work
is far from over.
 Being an elephant's surrogate
mother is a demanding job.
This is for Zambezi.
NARRATOR:  They must feed the
orphans twice in the night.
(GRUNTING)
 The young orphans need
the constant reassurance
of maternal care.
Okay.
Eat.
NARRATOR:  The keepers take
turns sleeping above
the stables.
 But they're unlikely to
get a quiet night.
 Like any children,
the young eles don't like
settling down.
 There's far too much to do.
And at 2:00 a.m., they're
hungry again.
 No one can get any sleep
until the calves have let
off steam.
(FARTING)
 In the morning, the babies
are up early.
 A new shift takes over
and they let Nkala,
 Muso and Bezi out into
the big wide world.
 The bush around the
nursery is the young
elephants' classroom.
(GROWLING)
 Here, they learn how to
find good sources of food
and they get used to
other wildlife along the way.
(GROWLING)
 This is a safe place for
Nkala and the other
orphans.
The nursery is in the middle
of a 1,600-acre game park.
 It's all fenced in,
to help protect it
from poachers.
 The young elephants are
voracious eaters.
 They greedily chomp all the
vegetation they can get
their trunks on.
 The keepers guide them
to the best food.
 Walking for four or five
hours every morning
helps to
build the youngsters' stamina,
something they'll
need if they're ever
to be released.
 In the wild, elephants
roam far and wide
looking for food.
 In arid conditions,
herds have to range over
hundreds of square miles.
 Carrying their bulk over
such vast distances is an
act of endurance.
(GROWLING)
 But elephants have a
marvel of natural
engineering on their side.
 It's their feet.
 They actually walk on
their tiptoes.
 And they have shock absorbers
made of cartilage under
their heels.
As the elephant's great weight
bears down on each foot,
 it expands by four inches.
This rhythm of
compression and
relaxation
helps to pump
the blood back up
to the heart.
 At the nursery, the eles
only walk short distances,
but it's thirsty work.
 It's mid-morning, and it's
keeper Elvis's turn to
prepare the bottles.
 Elephants cannot digest
cow's milk,
so the orphanage has had to
experiment to perfect
the right recipe.
 It's based on huge quantities
of milk powder made
for human babies.
 Each calf has a slightly
different mixture
tailored to meet its
individual nutritional needs.
 Warm water and cooked oats
are the finishing touch.
NARRATOR:  The little herd is
still wandering, somewhere
out in the game reserve.
I've finished preparing
the milk, so you can
just proceed, copy.
NARRATOR:  Now Elvis has got
to find them, before
the orphans get too hungry.
Musolole is nearly five,
and he's the oldest calf at
the orphanage.
He was less than six months
old, when his mother
became the latest
on a long list
of poachers' victims.
 Having shot the mother,
the poachers also killed
 the wildlife protection
officer who challenged
them
 and, as a tribute,
 Musolole was named
after him.
 When he was rescued,
he was so weak that the
keepers thought he would die.
 But, he pulled through
and, after four years of
constant care,
 he's become an incredibly
sociable elephant.
(GROWLING)
It's 9:00 a.m. and the orphans
know their bottle is due.
 Little Nkala can't wait,
so Musolole lets him
suck an ear.
 Nkala misses the reassurance
he'd get from suckling
his mother.
 At last, Musolole's ear
gets a rest.
 The bottles have arrived.
 Whilst the orphans are
out, Oliver is taking the
opportunity
 to do some
home improvements.
He moves
the logs and branches
into new configurations.
 The elephants are here a
couple of hours a day,
 and it's important to keep
them stimulated.
 Simply moving the furniture
gives them something
to explore.
 Then, Oliver deploys a
secret weapon,
 essential oils.
NARRATOR:  Oliver just needs to
put a couple of drops in
strategic places.
 Garlic essence goes on a log.
 And peppermint flavors
the water.
 Oliver's curious to see
how the orphans will react.
 The ele's priority is
always to have
their milk first.
 Now, it's time to explore.
 Nkala finds the barrel
with the peppermint.
 The essential oils have
different benefits.
 Peppermint aids digestion.
 Garlic is good for
intestinal parasites.
 Oliver now smells strongly
of both.
 And to Zambezi, that makes
him very interesting indeed.
(LAUGHING)
(LAUGHING)
NARRATOR:  An elephant's sense
of smell is four times greater
than a bloodhound's.
 They have an extra
olfactory organ in the
roof of their mouths.
 Smells are tested with
the tip of the trunk
 transferring the odor to
the mouth.
 An elephant's unique nose
is handy for a lot more
than just sniffing.
 The trunk's tip has
two prehensile fingers
that can be used for
the most delicate tasks.
 The trunk is actually a
fusion of the nose and
the top lip.
 It has no bone.
 40,000 individual muscles
along the trunk's length
allow for precise movements.
 They work together like a
human tongue.
 The muscles on one side
contract and shorten
whilst those opposite
relax and lengthen.
(BLOWING)
 This young calf's trunk
is still weak and
uncoordinated.
 She'll have to build skill
through practice.
 By the time she's fully
grown, this youngster will be
able to lift
 nearly half a tonne
with her trunk.
 When the African sun
is at its highest,
 the temperature reaches
104 degrees Fahrenheit.
 Elephant skin is up
to an inch thick.
Although it's tough,
it's also surprisingly
sensitive.
 To protect themselves from
the sun's ultraviolet light,
 elephants take mud baths
whenever they
get the chance.
 It's another great use
for a trunk.
(TRUMPETING)
 The third calf at Lilayi
Elephant Nursery is
Zambezi.
 Staff at a river camp
were surprised to find an
uninvited guest
 splashing about in
their swimming pool.
 Zambezi had fallen in
as he was desperately
trying to drink.
 He was just one month old.
There was no sign
of his mother,
 so the orphanage
stepped in to save him.
 Zambezi is now nearly
four and a half and
in perfect health.
 His idea of fun is
wrestling with Musolole.
 They're practicing for
when they grow up
and have to compete for
status and for females.
 At the nursery, the little
orphans get their health
checked every month.
MURTON: Okay, good job Aaron,
so he is...
One-thousand, four hundred and
forty.
Wow. Okay.
NARRATOR:  Zambezi likes
suckling so much,
that he doesn't mind that
he's only drinking water.
Good boy.
NARRATOR:  His keeper squeezes
the teat to restrict the flow
 and buy everyone some time.
 Height, length, girth
and tusks are all recorded.
(GROWLING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Yep.
MURTON: Done?
NARRATOR:  Zambezi weighs
1,440 pounds.
Aaron, jump in.
Elvis.
NARRATOR:  The combined weight
of all five keepers
is only half that.
MURTON: We're way off.
Half.
What are we on?
(LAUGHING)
We're half Zambezi.
NARRATOR:  Zambezi and Musolole
are making healthy progress.
 In a few months, they will
be ready for big school.
The Camp Phoenix Release
Facility is 220 miles
west of Lusaka
in the wilds
of central Zambia.
 Elephant orphans are
transferred here
 to start their reintroduction
to the wild.
 Maramba is a boisterous
six-year-old elephant.
 He graduated to the release
facility last year.
 Here, he joined a herd of
nine other orphans.
 Maramba is beginning to learn
to cope on his own,
 to rely more on the herd
and less on people.
 With the other new
arrivals, he's being weaned.
His milk watered down
bit by bit, until he gradually
loses interest in his bottle.
 With his new family,
Maramba is going on
much longer walks.
But this is the wild and there
are predators, so a guard
follows the young herd.
 Today, Maramba seems to
have a problem.
 He's seeking attention from
his keepers and
he's looking thin.
 When young elephants get
ill, they can die quickly,
so the vet hurries over.
 Dr Ian Parsons is
a wildlife specialist.
PARSONS: We're gonna use this.
NARRATOR:  He injects Maramba
with a light sedative.
(SCOFFS)
 It needs a few minutes
to take effect.
 The team works quickly
so Maramba doesn't overheat.
 After a thorough
examination, Dr Parsons
suspects the problem
 is caused by a parasite
infection.
 He takes a blood sample
from Maramba's ear.
PARSONS: Okay,
let's lower the slide, please.
NARRATOR:  Next, he gives
an injection to revive him.
 They'll have to wait
for the test results
 before they can make
a diagnosis.
 The blood results are in.
There's no indication of
the life-threatening
parasite,
 but Maramba is
a little anaemic.
Maramba.
NARRATOR:  So his keepers
put him back on the bottle
to build him up again.
 Once he is strong enough,
Maramba can go on gaining
his independence,
 and in a few years he'll
be joining the other
elephants
 in the wild,
where he belongs.
Two hundred and twenty miles
away back at the nursery,
it's the afternoon
 and it's starting
to cool down.
 So the orphans head out
on their regular stroll.
 Little Nkala is copying
the older orphans,
 learning how to get the
best foliage.
 They tear off branches...
 And push over trees.
 Elephants have a greater
environmental impact than
any other mammal.
 except humans.
 Given long enough,
elephants can do serious
damage to woodland
 but their continuous pruning
thins the forest
 and makes it more accessible
for other animals.
 The trees' tender new
growth sprouts from
a level where kudu
 and impala can reach it.
 In the face of the
onslaught, some trees
have adapted
 to protect themselves.
 This sapling has red leaves
that have super high levels
of tannin,
making it unpalatable
to elephants.
 In the wild, elephants eat
for 18 hours a day.
 They have to.
 Elephants digest less
than half their food.
 The rest of it goes
straight through and out
the other end.
 That's more than 300 pounds
of dung a day.
 Their fibrous dung balls
show just how incomplete
their digestion is.
(GROWLS)
 This is great news if
you're a baboon.
 Their diet is mainly fruit.
(BABOONS SCREECHING)
 But fruit contains
very little protein.
 The half-digested nuts
and insects attracted
to elephant dung
 are a regular feast.
 There are no baboons at
the nursery, so a lot of
dung means a lot of work.
 While the orphans are out,
the keepers have a chance
to clean up.
 Like humans, individual
elephants have very
different personalities
 and there's a noticeable
difference between
their stalls.
 The two older orphans
are tidy.
There's very little
food on Musolole
and Zambezi's floor.
 And their toilet is neatly
by the gate.
 Little Nkala is the
youngest and his stable
is a different matter.
 Food and dung are mixed
together and spread
all over the place.
 He's still got
a lot to learn.
(FLIES BUZZING)
 It's getting late and
it's almost time for the
orphans to return
 to the nursery.
With no mother for protection,
the calves are nervous.
 They're okay with warthogs.
 But for Zambezi, the sight
of a zebra is too much
to bear.
(TRUMPETING)
 Without waiting for
the others, he heads
for home.
(RADIO CHATTER)
 Fortunately,
there are no predators
in the game park.
 And Zambezi gets into
his nice clean stall
safe and sound.
(GROWLING)
 In the wild, a lone calf
attracts attention.
 Other than humans,
lions are the greatest
threat to elephants.
 This little one would
make a hearty feast
for an entire pride.
(GROWLING)
 Luckily, its mother is far
too attentive to leave it
in harm's way.
Calves are at risk until
they are at least
four years old.
(GROWLING)
 To protect them,
the family moves in unison.
 A united front of tusks
and trunks is enough
intimidation.
(GROANS)
 Lionesses aren't the
elephant mother's
only worry.
 Male lions can be
as much as 50%
larger than females.
 When it comes to bigger prey,
a male's extra power gives
him the edge.
 Even a solitary male can kill
an elephant calf.
 At Lilayi Nursery,
the youngest orphans have
got a lot to learn
 before they'll be ready
for the wild.
For now, they just need
to keep growing
and keep getting stronger.
 The new day promises to be
hot, so the keepers take the
young elephants for a treat.
 A couple of miles
from the nursery,
there's a lake.
The perfect place
for a picnic.
 A dip in the lake is a great
chance to cool off.
 Through the constant,
dedicated care
of their keepers,
 the orphans have
escaped death,
and their future looks bright.
 Musolole and Zambezi have
learned all the core skills
 the nursery can teach them.
 And in a couple of
months, they will graduate
 to the Camp Phoenix
Release Facility.
 Then, it will be Nkala's
turn to be big brother
 to the next orphans rescued
from the bush.
 He'll help guide them
on their journey,
 back into the wild.
(TRUMPETING)
♪♪
