The odds were stacked against Ellie, the newborn elephant, after she was ousted by her herd. Luckily, she wandered into the loving arms of Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage in South Africa, and that’s where she met her unlikely new best friend!
Upon her arrival to Thula Thula, Ellie had a number of serious health problem like a huge infected hole in her stomach where her umbilical cord had once was and severe malnutrition. Even though the chances of surviving were less than one percent, Ellie pulled through and grew both physically and mentally. Her wound healed and she was getting stronger every day!
But her seemingly unstoppable progress grinded to a stop after Ellie wasn’t getting the necessary socialization elephants desperately crave. Her mood continued to deteriorate so Ellie’s caretakers decided to try something radical; they introduced Ellie to Duma, a German Shepherd puppy who also lived in the animal sanctuary. The pair hit it off right away and within hours of meeting Duma, Ellie started to show signs of improving once again! Ellie has a renewed love of life and now she and Duma are inseparable! They play all day, every day!
