A mountainside rescue, a wild kidnapping, a brush with lions — Embu has been through a lot, and she’s still just a young elephant! This #SWTTransformationTuesday, discover her remarkable story. RESCUE: In August 2014, we were called to rescue an 18-month-old calf who had been orphaned on the Embu side of Mount Kenya. Pulling off an elephant rescue in the mountains is challenging enough. Further complicating matters was the fact that we had to had to transport her back to Nairobi by road, embarking on a painstaking five-hour journey with our precious cargo in tow. The emaciated elephant who came into our care soon transformed into a happy, playful calf. EMBU’S ADVENTURE: After a year and a half at the Nursery, Embu was ready to embark on the next step of her journey back to the wild at our Voi Reintegration Unit. Unfortunately, she is a girl does not live by the adage “learn to walk before you run!” In June 2016, she was having so much fun fraternizing with wild elephants that she let them spirit her away. Despite the Keepers’ best efforts to retrieve her, her new friends were very possessive and took her off into the wilds of Tsavo. A ground and aerial search-and-rescue mission ensued, and on the third day, we finally spotted her on the Irima Plains. Embu was alone and confused — and worse still, she had been mauled by a lion. We’re not sure why the wild herd didn’t protect her, but we suspect that she had already been on her way home when the lion attacked. In slide three, see her rescue party escort her back to Voi. TODAY: Embu was very lucky to survive such an attack — a fact she seems well aware of. Since that fateful incident, she has remained closer to home, learning the ways of the wild at a more studious pace. At eight years old, Embu is one of the oldest orphans in our dependent herd. She is a wonderful friend and mentor to the others, but she also enjoys life’s little luxuries. In slide three, see her hamming it up with her best friend, Rorogoi; in the final slide, she snuggles with another bff, Mbegu. —— Photos / Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #EmbuSWT