Melissa E. Holsman

Meet Poppi, the daughter of an Amboseli legend. Her mother, Poppy, the matriarch of the PA2 family, led her herd through devastating droughts and the poaching crisis. Her most recent calf, a little girl, was born in May 2025. Earlier this year, researchers from the Amboseli Trust for Elephants noticed that Poppy had begun to lose weight and seemed low on energy. Our SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Vet Unit investigated and continued to monitor her and her youngest calf, who was still entirely dependent on her. On 24th September, Poppy collapsed. Despite the Vet Unit’s best efforts, she died aged 53. It was heartbreaking, but in the wild, living to old age is a privilege. Her family moved on, but her smallest daughter refused to leave her mother’s side. At just over a year old, the calf could not survive without her mother’s milk or her herd’s protection, and now she had neither. The Kenya Wildlife Service rescued her and brought her to our Nairobi Nursery the next day. We named her Poppi, in honour of her mother. You can become part of Poppi’s journey by adopting her. You’ll receive monthly updates as your support helps shepherd her from orphan to wild elephant: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o… Poppy photos courtesy Amboseli Trust for Elephants