The first time I saw Wiwin, she looked like a wizened old woman with wrinkly skin, but<br>she was in fact a baby elephant.She had been left behind when her family group was<br>chased back into the forest after being caught raiding a rice field in Southern Sumatra,<br>Indonesia.She had been rescued by the local people, who quickly realized that they lacked<br>the means to care for her.So she was brought to the local office of the Wildlife<br>Conservation Society.Wiwin was desperate for affection.(1) ____D_____ Because her<br>growing teeth were sore, she had also taken to chewing on anything and everything.<br>Everyone at the Conservation office was impressed by her spirit;she was clearly a survivor,<br>but having her there presented a number of problems.(2) _______ So the staff desperately<br>contacted anyone who could give advice and began constructing feeding equipment from a<br>length of tubing attached to a plastic bottle.Once they discovered the formula of a blend of<br>cow's milk, coconut water and milk powder, Wiwin started to take in liquids.<br>There could be no question of releasing her back into the wild.The only option was for her<br>to go to an elephant training center (ETC), which cared for orphaned elephants.The nearest<br>ETC was 1,500 km away, but transporting Wiwin over that distance would be extremely difficult,<br>especially as she was so weak.(3) _______ We set off in convoy.Wiwin was in a jeep on a<br>cushion of coconut palms, with the wildlife center staff;followed with a photographer.<br>The first twenty-four hours went well.Wiwin determined our schedule: if she was tired,<br>we stopped, and if she was hungry, we opened a coconut and fed her.Mostly, we travelled<br>in the cool of the night, driving through sleeping villages and setting up camp at daybreak,<br>putting up a tent to give Wiwin shade.<br>We continued on our way in the late afternoon and drove straight into a torrential<br>rainstorm.Trees were blown down, even blocking the road in places.(4) _______ We<br>stopped for breakfast at a roadside cafe, where one local peered in and touched her<br>nervously as if expecting an electric shock.<br>After three days we arrived at the Sebanga ETC, to be met by the resident vet, Joanne<br>Hammett.She agreed that we should try to see if the elephant with the newborn calf might<br>let Wiwin into their group to feed.(5) ______ However, she did soon settle into life at<br>Sebanga, interacting well with the other elephants.<br>So, after a week we left Wiwin at the center.Regular updates from Joanne kept us<br>informed of Wiwin's improving condition.It could be questioned whether we were justified in<br>putting all this effort into keeping just one animal alive - in order for it to live a limited life in<br>captivity.(6) ______ She was a symbol of hope for a group of weary conservationists who<br>are very aware that it takes an enormous amount of time and stamina to make a difference.<br>A Despite all this, Wiwin managed to sleep contentedly.<br>B However, as we were told they had an elephant with a newborn calf, ...
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