Celebrating amazing animal mums this Mother’s Day

With our partners on the ground, we’ve helped these families find safety, freedom, and the chance to live the lives they deserve.

Savana and her growing pups (Oncafari)

Maned wolf mum Savana has been raising her pups in the wild, teaching them how to hunt and keeping them safe from predators in Brazil. They communicate with each other and their mother with scratchy, rasping sounds, a unique part of their bond. But life isn’t always easy - dangerous irrigation channels built for factory farm feed crops put maned wolves at risk. Thanks to tracking radio-collars and monitoring, we’ve helped ensure Savana and her little ones stay safe. With thermal drone technology, we can see Savana interacting with her pups - playing, feeding, and teaching them how to thrive in their natural habitat. Through her nurturing care, they’re growing and learning the skills they need to explore the world on their own.

Mayura and Mae Gorgae: A bond that can’t be broken (ChangChill Sanctuary)

Mayura, the youngest elephant in her herd, is full of energy and playfulness, but through it all, she’s never far from her loving mother, Mae Gorgae. They live happily at ChangChill, a venue in Thailand that we helped to transform into being truly high welfare and elephant friendly. Their journey hasn’t been easy - they were once forced apart for labour in the harsh logging and tourism industries, having undergone cruel and fear-based training. Now, they spend their days together, freely roaming the hills, bathing and playing together in the river, and even trumpeting in harmony. Their love is a beautiful reminder of the power of family.

Daria and her cubs: Safe at last (Libearty)

When mother bear Daria and her three newly born cubs, Tasha, Lulu and Kyle, were found scavenging in a village, it was clear Daria was struggling. An old injury left her limping, making it difficult to find food. Unfortunately, as Daria’s health was in such poor condition, her chances of survival were slim if she was relocated to another area of forest. The cubs also couldn’t survive in the wild as they had been used to searching for food with their mother in villages. With our partners at Libearty Sanctuary in Romania, we helped them find a forever home where they’ll always have food, medical care, and space to explore as a family. Now, they’re happy, safe and healthy. Daria’s paw isn’t painful and despite it hindering the way she walks; she has no issues with climbing trees. The cubs are also growing strong, playing together, and learning from their devoted mum.

Meli: A surrogate mum to those in need (JAAN)

Rescued from the cruel “dancing monkey” trade, Meli has suffered unimaginable cruelty. But even after everything she’s endured, her nurturing nature shines through. That’s why she may soon be introduced to little Unyil, a baby monkey who was stolen from his mother as an infant. Without a mother of his own, Unyil craves comfort - and Meli might just be the perfect surrogate mum. If all goes well, she’ll take him under her wing, helping him build the confidence and skills he needs to one day join a troop in the wild.

This Mother’s Day, celebrate the strength and love of animal mums by supporting our work. Shop our unique gifts for Mother’s Day and help protect wildlife mothers and their babies around the world.