David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

A week to the day that Zambia's national football team, the mighty Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets), won the Africa Cup another orphaned elephant was rescued in Zambia...

The abandoned young elephant calf walked into the village of Soweto , at the Mozambique border, enthusiastically running up to people as if he would find his mother. ZAWA Officers were called to the scene and relocated the calf to the ZAWA headquarters where the Elephant Orphanage Project ( EOP ) team arrived to support him.

"Incredibly skinny and dehydrated, the calf took the bottle without hesitation," reports Sport Beattie of EOP . "At about 9 months old he is well developed and can eat grass and browse with vigour , but milk is vital to his ongoing development."

It seems that the calf has survived for what looks like weeks without his mother.

"He's a real little fighter so he has been named Chipolopolo in honour of the recent triumph of Zambia's National Football team who fought their way to the top against all the odds," adds Sport.

After a seven hour road journey  to Lusaka Chipolopolo was safely stabled and has already made friends with the keepers and spent his first day wandering through the bush with his new elephant family.

"We are delighted with his progress so far but with seven suckling calves we are in urgent need of support," says Sport.

To find out more about the project and how you can help Chipolopolo and his orphaned friends click here