On Monday, January 24, Margaret Lekirsisae performed a heartwarming rescue operation in Lengardae, Samburu, saving the life of a young foal whose mother had passed away from complications related to the postmortem.
Tragically, the rescue came to pass when the orphaned foal was discovered clinging sadly to its mother’s lifeless corpse.
Lekirsisae was notified by the community about a distressed foal that was still holding on to its dead mother. Cradling the foal, Lekirsisae ensured its safety until the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) veterinary team showed up.
“Yesterday, KWS Northern Kenya Mobile Vet Unit rescued an infant Grevy’s zebra foal in Lengardae, Samburu.
“The heart-warming rescue took place as the orphaned foal was discovered desperately suckling on its mother’s carcass, who had tragically succumbed to postpartum complications,” said KWS in a post.
The dedicated team acted swiftly to secure the vulnerable foal and took it to the Reteti Animal Rescue Centre.
Margaret Lekirsisae has been a Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) scout since 2009 from the Meibae Community Conservancy in Samburu.
In another rescue mission, the Grevy’s Zebra Trust praised the efforts of two schoolboys who spotted another distressed foal stuck in a gulley.
Reporting the situation to the rescue team, the foal was successfully saved by KWS and Andrew Letura, and then joyously reunited with its mother.
These heartwarming stories of rescue and collaboration underscore the term “conservation heroes,” celebrating those who go above and beyond to protect and preserve the beauty of Kenya’s wildlife.
The Grevy’s Zebra Trust was established in January 2007 to address the urgent need to conserve Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) in the community rangelands of Kenya and Ethiopia.
GZT works in partnership with communities from monitoring Grevy’s zebra through citizen science to co-designing site-specific and tailored solutions to threats facing the species. The organisation seeks ways to use data and information to inform decisions and solutions for positive conservation outcomes.
