Kasewe
Kafue Release Facility
Born December 2015
Kasewe was found wandering alone after her mother was shot when crop raiding in Mozambique
Kasewe was only 9 months old when she was rescued four days after her mother had been shot for crop raiding in Mozambique. A teacher, named Sabina noticed the small calf wandering alone by the Kasewe stream. Sabina and her family were able to capture the calf and restrained her with a chitenge (a traditional cloth often used as a skirt).
The rescue team arrived and safely transferred Kasewe to the Elephant Nursery. The young, frightened elephant sought the attention of the Wildlife Rangers to provide her with comfort and reassurance.
With the right nutritional support and the company of her surrogate siblings, Kasewe settled well in the nursery. She delighted the Rangers with her playful and friendly nature.
Now at 6 years old, Kasewe is still one of the most calm and friendly elephants at the Kafue Release Facility. She is distinguished from the others as she is a tuskless cow. Tuskless elephants like Kasewe are often more aggressive, as they feel much more vulnerable to predators. However, Kasewe, being female, will always have the support of a herd around her and will not need to rely on her tusks for protection or to compete for a mate.
Kasewe is very fond of the older females in the herd and is often found following Chamilandu and Kavala on the walks into the bush. She is also fond of Chamma’s calf, Mutaanzi David and is often seen playing with him in the boma.
Current status
Kasewe has a calm temperament which is both positive, as this makes her approachable by the younger elephants, and a negative, as it is easy for the older elephants to display their dominance over her. Kasewe recently left the Facility with a herd that joined some wild elephants. This was out of character for her as she has never spent a night outside of the boma since her relocation to the herd, and also, because of her shy personality. Nevertheless, she is with Mkaliva who is much braver, adventurous and is the closest elephant to her. This may have influenced her decision. We will be monitoring Kasewe as she is in the wild and will bring you updates when we have them.