An elephant calf, nearly lost to ivory poachers, is walking once more thanks to a custom-made boot and dedicated care.
Seventeen-month-old Suni was found in Zambia with severe injuries caused by an axe. Her survival is a miracle; her recovery has inspired many to support her journey.
The rise in elephant poaching across Africa has reached alarming levels, largely driven by the increasing demand for ivory in China.
Suni, an orphaned elephant, is standing tall again with the help of a new leg cast.
A Dire Situation: Nearly a year ago, Suni was discovered struggling to move, relying solely on her front legs.
Dehydrated, weak, and suffering from deep wounds inflicted by poachers, she was abandoned after her mother was killed for her tusks.
The injuries left Suni with a spinal wound, causing paralysis in her right leg.
Fortunately, the Elephant Orphanage Project near Lusaka, Zambia, quickly aided her. A team of specialists from Norway and the United States performed surgery and fitted her with an aluminum leg support, enabling her to regain her balance.
Rachel Murton, the manager of the Elephant Orphanage, recalled the early challenges: “It was touch and go at first, but as the swelling in her back subsided, she began to feel her leg again.”
Through a combination of physiotherapy, massage, and intensive nursing, Suni’s recovery progressed.
A New Lease on Life: Suni now enjoys playing with her fellow orphans at the sanctuary with her mobility restored. However, she still requires constant care, including medical support and feeding every three hours.
Her leg support, crafted from aluminum, PVC, and leather, was designed to meet her needs.
Suni’s progress has been remarkable. Kelvin Chanda, the headkeeper at the orphanage, shared his excitement: “The moment Suni walked on her own for the first time was beyond words.”
Despite the ongoing global ban on ivory trading in place since 1989, efforts to overturn the ban have persisted since 1997, according to the campaign group Bloody Ivory.
The Toll of Poaching: Suni’s story is a reminder of the brutal impact of the ivory trade. Poaching in Africa has reached its highest level in over two decades, fueled by the rising demand for ivory, particularly among China’s growing middle class.
In 1999, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe were allowed a one-time sale of over 49,000 kilograms of ivory to Japan. Another sale in 2008 sent 105,000 kilograms of ivory to China and Japan.
By 2009, more than 20,000 kilograms of ivory had been seized worldwide. In 2011, thirteen major busts resulted in confiscating over 23,000 kilograms of ivory, a record since the ban was implemented.
Despite the ongoing ban, some countries have continued to push for its repeal.
In Beijing’s Hongqiao Market, ivory items are still available for purchase. The 2011 seizures alone surpassed previous records, highlighting the persistent threat to elephants.
Last summer, the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) acknowledged that elephant poaching had reached unsustainable levels.
Cynthia Moss, from the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya, expressed her concerns: “It’s disheartening to fight for elephants’ survival once again. The 1989 ban allowed elephants to recover across much of Africa. Now, even in Amboseli, we’re losing elephants to poaching for the first time in years. The sale of any ivory—legal or illegal—drives demand. No one needs ivory except the elephants themselves.”
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