When Cherie of the First Ladies family in Samburu national reserve died, the Kenya Wildlife Service, Save the Elephants, Nasuulu conservancy and both Samburu and Buffalo Springs County councils all rallied to the assistance of the calf.

Although only 5 months old, Sokotei is remarkably strong. When he tried to leave his mother’s body in the night the monitoring team attempted to catch him. As they were chasing through thick salvadora (Sokotei) bush, knowing that lions were in the area, a huge rainstorm hit. After two hours skidding around in the mud, both elephant and men looked each other in the eye, panting for breath, and decided to leave it for the night.