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“Talk about an elephant with a silver spoon in his mouth”, Roxy says while Moyo the baby African elephant raids the kitchen table and grabs a silver spoon to chew on. But this is all a far cry from Moyo’s traumatic start in life.

He was found starving and abandoned on the shores of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, at just a few days old. It’s thought he got separated from his herd whilst trying to cross a flooded river and nearly drowned. Rangers immediately airlifted him to Wild is Life, a rescue and rehabilitation centre founded by Roxy Dankwerts.

Roxy took on the role of surrogate mother, giving him around the clock care. She never left his side. He’s now a year in to his rehabilitation and is fast becoming a healthy, strong and even cheeky young elephant. He’s become part of Roxy’s family and has his own unconventional herd to hang out with - Kimi the sheep and Josephine, the family’s pet dog.

But if Moyo is ever to return to the wild, Roxy has one big hurdle to get him over – his deep seated fear of water. They say elephants never forget and nearly drowning as a new born has left him with emotional scars.

Moyo means “of the heart” and he’s certainly found a special place in Roxy’s heart and on her sofa. Her bond with him is as strong as that of any mother and child. He’s come a long way and Roxy hopes that with love, support and the right training, he will eventually overcome his fear and be confident enough to return to the African savannah.

Robin the tamandua has come a long way since he arrived at rescue centre Kids Saving the Rainforest. He was found alone and starving on a roadside at just a few weeks old. Tamanduas are a type of anteater with a highly specialised diet. Robin spends most of his life looking for ants and termites high up in the tree tops.

At the centre, Biologist Pedro Montero has become Robin’s surrogate mum. He’s been helping Robin develop his wild skills for over a year now and he thinks Robin is ready to be released. But first Robin must prove to Pedro that he can fend for himself and that means passing a series of tests that Pedro has devised for him. And he needs to break his close bond with Pedro before he can return to the wild.