Two orphaned baby elephants have become best friends after being rescued by a wildlife trust.
Ashaka and Kamok were discovered in the wild separately after being abandoned by their mothers a year ago.
The African elephants – both named after parts of Kenya – were taken in by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust on the outskirts of Nairobi, and have since become inseparable.
Now, the boisterous duo spend their days rolling around in mud, chasing warthogs and bashing bushes.
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Ashaka (left) and Kamok (right) were rescued by rangers and taken to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi National Park in Kenya a year ago
The animals have developed a close friendship after being integrated into the herd of orphaned elephants also rescued in the wild by rangers
Kamok was just one day old when she was abandoned by her mother and herd. Her limbs were weak and she was unable to walk properly.
She wandered alone and scared into a camp in the Ol Pejeta conservancy, where rangers began bottle feeding her.
Two months later, three-week old Ashaka was found at the bottom of a deep waterhole after waking rangers at the Kenyan Wildlife Service in Tsavo East with her distressed screams.
Once rescued, both animals were flown to the Trust’s nursery in Nairobi National Park and are now part of its foster programme.
Rob Brandford, UK director of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, said: ‘The bonds between elephants are extremely close and important.
‘For the orphans we rescue, the other elephants become their lost herd and family,with many choosing their own best friends.
The elephants are endangered in Nairobi among other parts of Africa with illegal poaching and threats to their natural habitat bringing the species ever closer to extinction
When orphaned animals are taken in by rangers or conservationists they form fast attachments with other creatures after losing their herds
The baby elephant roll around in the mud to cool down as visitors at the Nairobi National Park watch on. Ashaka and Kamok are part of the Trust’s fostering programme
One of the young animals gets a mud bath from a ranger who uses a heavy shovel to coat their dried skin with damp, wet mud as temperatures soar
Two of the elephants struggle to get back on their feet after enjoying a splash around in the pool of red mud with the rest of the orphaned animals
Rangers use a special formula of milk to feed the elephants when they are babies. Eventually they will be released back into the wild to integrate with herds
‘These bonds will last a lifetime.
‘Kamok and Ashaka were rescued within months of one another and as both are girls in the original infant group, they have settled into nursery life in the knowledge that in each other they have a playmate and friend.’
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust cares for endangered elephants and black rhinos. It is also caring for a baby giraffe called Zili.
Founded in 1977 by Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E in memory of her late husband, it focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants.
The Trust has cared for more than 150 elephants in almost 40 years, reintegrating animals back into the wild when they are ready.