On 1st July, 1954, the labourers working at the new lodge site at Aruba dam in the Royal Tsavo National Park, reported having seen a lone elephant calf come down to drink and go off again on its own. On the 3rd July, while watching some elephants watering at the dam, I noticed a small elephant calf wandering about in an aimless fashion at the far end of the dam. This calf made no attempt to join the herd watering, although it must have been aware of their presence, as they were making a considerable noise. After about twenty minutes the herd moved off, and the calf remained at the water's edge. This was obviously the same calf that had been seen by the labourers two days before. The surrounding country was extremely dry and there were several lions in the area, so I felt his chances of survival were pretty remote if left to his own devices. I decided, therefore, to capture him and try to rear him in captivity.