Meet Kerio - the orphaned baby elephant whose mother was killed by poachers

This orphaned baby elephant is called Kerio. Named after the place where she was found nearly three weeks ago, wandering alone and dehydrated in remote northern Kenya.

She is about one years old and it is thought her mother was killed by poachers.

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Elephants are dependent on milk for at least the first two to three years of their life and judging by the poor condition little Kerio was found in, she'd been without any sustenance for several days.

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After being rescued by the Kenyan Wildlife Service she was flown to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust orphanage in Nairobi where she is now slowly recovering.

The blue paste on her face is to prevent her cuts and bruises from infection and after collapsing this morning she was hooked up to a drip for extra nutrients.

If little Kerio pulls through then the aim would be to eventually reintroduce her back into the wild.

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To do this once the baby elephants reach the age of about four and are strong enough, they are taken to sites in Kenya where they are slowly integrated into ex-orphan herds.

ITV News visited one such location in Tsavo called Ithumba where 15 orphans are slowly making the transition into the wild.

The elephants are between three and half and seven years old.

They're all dependent on their keepers and some still drink milk.

They'll stay here and go walking in the bush to get used to their surroundings before eventually joining wild herds or forming one of their own.

Credit: ITV News
Credit: ITV News
Credit: ITV News
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