This wild bull has ‘adopted’ our Ithumba herd. He loves spending time with the orphans and often arranges his day around their schedule. Promptly at 11 o’clock, he arrives for their midday mud bath and milk feed. While they have their bottles, he keeps busy with a little dusting session nearby, before they all converge upon the water trough for a drink and a chat. As you’ll see, the bigger wild bulls have given up their spot at the trough — while they tolerate the orphans, they are not quite so generous with their time! Mentors play a vital role in our orphans’ reintegration journeys. Drawing from their own experiences, wild-living orphans are always happy to impart wisdom in their dependent counterparts. But sometimes, an entirely wild friend appears on the scene. This bull is a very special elephant; although he was not raised by the human hand, he is clearly curious about our unique herd and realises that they would benefit from his wisdom. The orphans are lucky to have such generous friends guiding their way back to the wild. —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #ithumba #mentor #elephants #journey #wild #orphansproject #tsavo