At dawn, in Okomu National Park, southern Nigeria, Joshua Aribasoye prepares infant formula for Agbaibor, a forest elephant calf who barely reaches his knees, rescued after being found alone.
"This baby elephant needs to drink two liters of this preparation at each meal (...) every three hours ," explains Mr. Aribasoye, one of the caretakers in charge of feeding and monitoring the young pachyderm, a few months old, day and night, which requires constant attention and care.
Agbaibor, named in honor of the forest ranger who participated in his rescue, was found late last year in an oil palm plantation near Okomu Park in Edo State, after being separated from his herd.
Park rangers immediately tried to reunite him with his family by leading him back into the forest, but without success.
Fearing that it might die alone or be attacked by poachers, the park management and the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) foundation, which manages the Okomu park nature reserve, launched an emergency operation.
They brought in specialists from Zambia and assigned a team of Nigerian caretakers to feed, monitor and play with the young elephant 24 hours a day.
ANI, who spares no expense, spends between four and five million naira (approximately $2,900 to $3,600) each month on her food, including powdered milk, oats, and nutritional supplements.
Only 200 elephants in Nigeria
The reintroduction of Agbaibor into his natural habitat will take between three and five years. The first step in this gradual transition: placing the young elephant in an enclosure in the middle of the forest to expose him to the sounds and movements of wild herds.
"The baby elephant will be cared for there until it is integrated into a group," explains Peter Abanyam, project manager for ANI.
Forest elephants are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mainly due to poaching and habitat destruction.
Nigeria's elephant population has declined sharply over the past few decades.
Environmentalists estimate that there are only about 200 elephants left in the country, including about 40 in and around Okomu National Park.
This reserve, which covers 24,000 hectares, constitutes one of the last large rainforest ecosystems in Nigeria.
"In such a small ecosystem, sheltering 40 elephants represents a considerable number, and it must be protected at all costs ," he explains.
Conservation
However, the pressure on the forest is intensifying.
Logging, poaching, agriculture and the expansion of settlement areas in one of Africa's fastest-growing population countries have fragmented large portions of the park.
This situation reduces the elephants' movement areas and increases contact between wildlife and human populations.
Godstime Christopher, 26, used to illegally cut timber before becoming a forest ranger for ANI. Now, he installs cameras in trees to track elephant movements and identify poachers.
For ANI, the involvement of local communities is essential for the survival of endangered wildlife.
Although poaching appears to have decreased in the region, the hunting of other species continues to disturb elephants and degrade their habitat, warns Mr. Christopher.
Back at the rehabilitation center, Agbaibor plays in the mud, nudges his caretaker with his snout to get his attention and drinks milk from huge baby bottles.
For Joshua Aribasoye, this demanding work with the baby elephant has become a personal mission.
"We have to be like a mother to him," the caretaker confides. "Seeing him eat and play makes me happy... I know we are helping to preserve what we have left ," he smiles.
