Earlier this year, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Nairobi, Kenya-based wildlife sanctuary, rescued an orphaned zebra. The zebra, named Bombi, was just a baby when she first arrived at the refuge.
“Bombi’s mother was killed by lions and the tiny foal only narrowly survived the attack herself,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote on Facebook.
When Bombi first arrived at the sanctuary, she was struggling. She was terrified after losing her family and had deep wounds from the attack. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescuers immediately got to work getting Bombi the care she needed.
Bombi’s rescuers came up with a creative way to make her feel as comfortable as possible in her new environment. Every time they’re around her, they wear a coat with a zebra stripe pattern on it.
“Zebras are visual creatures, and foals imprint on their mother’s striped pattern,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote. “This coat allows Bombi to imprint on her Keepers as nature intended, without becoming overly attached to any one individual.”
Bombi has grown to love the special zebra coat so much that the staff members even leave it in her pen when she’s by herself. It brings her comfort in between visits from her caretakers.
Bombi has bonded with all the sanctuary staff members who take care of her. Despite the staff’s best efforts to have her not pick a favorite, she still has a special soft spot for one caretaker in particular named Peter.
Every time Peter gets anywhere Bombi, she nuzzles up to him affectionately. He gives her lots of scratches and pets, which are her favorite.
“Bombi would crawl into Keeper Peter’s coat if she could — in fact, she’s giving it her best shot,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote. “She absolutely adores him.”
In addition to her human friends, Bombi has met lots of animal companions, too. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust staff members introduced her to a mini “herd” of other orphaned baby animals. The herd, made up of babies from several different species, accepted Bombi with open arms.
It’s now been six months since Bombi was rescued. She’s completely unrecognizable from the injured baby who first arrived at the sanctuary. She spends her days running around with her friends, rolling around in the dirt and of course, hanging out with Peter.
“[T]hanks to round-the-clock care from her Keepers, [Bombi] has healed wonderfully,” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote.
