Cute little trunks of curiosity as Khanyisa and Fenya meet🥰!
We were unsure what to expect when Khanyisa and Fenya met trunk to trunk! We were also unsure when the right time would be, but wanted it to be as natural as possible. This lengthy video captures some of the highlights of their exchanges over the past few days.
Khanyisa started to hang around outside Fenya's (the new calf in our care, who like Khanyisa, survived being caught in a snare) nursery, the day after she arrived. But she seemed a bit shy.
The next day Joshua took a moment using a marula fruit and guided her towards the door opening where Fenya was standing behind. She poked her sweet little pink trunk through the hole and was met with another curious trunk! The trunks danced around one another briefly, and then Khanyisa entered the nursery.
They were both extremely calm and relaxed and Khanyisa stretched her trunk over to her to smell her. Adine and the team let them be, keeping it relaxed and easy - and soon Khanyisa decided it was time to leave.
Over the next few days, Khanyisa has slowly become a bit more comfortable with her new neighbour. Some mornings she makes an effort and others not so much! But you will see some very sweet moments shared between them, and Lammie too!
For the time being, we are keeping Fenya in the nursery as she is still getting used to her surroundings, and her wounds are a concern, especially her one by her throat which has a big gaping hole, which could get easily infected. We also have to be 100% sure that she is comfortable with her carers and Khanyisa, as she could hurt them if she gets startled or scared. Remembering the immense trauma she has been through, these things have to be considered.
Adine would like to have the two calves together in the bigger nursery when the time is right. For now, Fenya needs to heal and get good sleep and rest without distraction, until she gets her strength up.
Khanyisa continues to go into the wild with the herd during the day. She did have a bout of diarrhea two days after Fenya arrived, but thankfully it cleared up quite quickly. This could be due to all the changes and possible stress of change, but it is hard to tell. Overall Khanyisa has handled arrival of the new orphan quite well, however, she has had a few moments, being a little stand-offish with Adine, which is most likely due to jealousy. She is not used to sharing Adine's attention!
We really look forward to sharing their budding friendship and hopefully, a sisterly bond grows too, starting with this lengthy video showing you some of the highlights of their budding relationship💚.
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