{"id":620061,"date":"2026-04-22T01:47:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/620061\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T01:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:47:17","slug":"longuro-the-baby-elephant-lost-his-trunk-in-a-vicious-attack-hes-now-thriving-in-the-best-way-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/620061\/","title":{"rendered":"Long\u2019uro the baby elephant lost his trunk in a vicious attack. He\u2019s now thriving in the best way."},"content":{"rendered":"

An elephant<\/a>\u2019s trunk<\/a> is more than just its defining physical trait. They use it to take in nutrition, to snorkel while swimming, to spray water or dust on their bodies for hygiene<\/a> and protection, and to communicate, lifting it high to show a perceived threat, or intertwining it with another to display affection.<\/p>\n

So you can imagine the profound loss that might have been experienced by Long\u2019uro, the elephant calf left with only a third of his trunk after a hyena attack. And yet, his story is one of hope, not just tragedy.<\/p>\n

A devastating start: a calf loses most of his trunk<\/p>\n

About six years ago, the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary received a call that a gravely injured baby elephant was stuck in a nearby well, traumatized not only by the harrowing attack, but also by the abandonment of his mother.<\/p>\n

A fight for survival that almost didn\u2019t happen<\/p>\n

As vets rushed to the scene, poor Long\u2019uro\u2019s situation looked dire. He could barely breathe and had lost a lot of blood. For a moment, euthanasia seemed to be the only option.<\/p>\n

Yet, the team saw the calf fighting for his life and decided they wouldn\u2019t give up hope either. So, they airlifted him to a place where they could properly care for him.\u00a0He was named Long\u2019uro, which loosely translates to \u201che who has been cut\u201d in Samburu.<\/p>\n

The caregiver who changed everything<\/p>\n

After Long\u2019uro underwent surgery, Mary Lengees, one of Reteti\u2019s elephant keepers, was charged with keeping his wounds clean and managing his follow-up vet visits. But she ended up providing so much more than that. As Long\u2019uro struggled to navigate the world without his trunk, Lengees provided constant comfort, patience, and care. Because of this, Long\u2019uro\u2019s spirits never dwindled, and the two developed a powerful bond.<\/p>\n

\"Long\u2019uro,<\/p>\n

Then, a few more baby elephants joined the nursery, providing Long\u2019uro with his own set of friends. Pretty soon, his \u201cjoyful, boisterous\u201d personality began to come alive, the Reteti website recalled.<\/p>\n

Thriving against the odds<\/p>\n

Six years later, and sweet Long\u2019uro has figured out life on his own terms. He\u2019s able to feed and clean himself, has grown big and strong, and is well-received in his herd. And Reteti credits him for all of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis unrivalled resilience in his fight for survival pulled him through\u2026His life represents so much\u2026but ultimately, Long\u2019uro\u2019s story is one of courage.\u201d<\/p>\n

A story that\u2019s still moving people today<\/p>\n

Recently, Nature on PBS<\/a> posted a video where Lengees recalled Long\u2019uro\u2019s story, visibly getting teary as she did. This, in turn, left thousands completely moved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad that the baby was saved and there are caring people looking out for him.\u00a0 You can tell the woman is very emotional about it.\u00a0 She\u2019s an angel!\u00a0 I might be on the other side of the world, but my heart breaks, and my tears fall just the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe saw she was crying and sad, remembering his story, and came over to give her snuggles. What a sweet pair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a compassionate young woman. It\u2019s evident that she cares deeply for the elephant and his plight.\u201d<\/p>\n

How you can help Long\u2019uro\u2019s next chapter<\/p>\n

In celebration of Long\u2019uro\u2019s \u201c6-year rescueversary,\u201d Reteti is currently trying to raise $60,000 to support his care, which will ultimately help him return to the wild along with his herd. If you\u2019d like to contribute to this next chapter, you can do so here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The post Long\u2019uro the baby elephant lost his trunk in a vicious attack. He\u2019s now thriving in the best way.<\/a> appeared first on Upworthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An elephant\u2019s trunk is more than just its defining physical trait. They use it to take in nutrition,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[47502,49,48,7097,232709,232710,66,232711,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-620061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-baby-elephants","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-elephant","12":"tag-mary-lengees","13":"tag-reteti-elephant-sanctuary","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-trunk","16":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}