Meet Bumpy the orphaned hippo who is being hand-reared by keepers after being found nudging his dead mum at the edge of a lake

A newborn hippo, aptly named Bumpy, is being cared for by keepers at a Kenyan sanctuary after he was discovered leaning his head towards his dead mother.

Bumpy, just a week old, was found ‘in helpless comfort’ on the shores of Lake Oloiden in Naivasha.

The hippo’s mother is thought to have died ‘protecting the baby in a fight for territory’, leaving him stranded in the wild, according to a statement from charities.

Bumpy was pulled from the water and captured by the Kenya Wildlife Trust, who took him to Nairobi. There it was handed over to the Sheldrick Trust.

Angela Sheldrick, chief executive of the charity, said: Times: ‘The calf was desperate for comfort and connection and remained glued to its keepers from then on.’

Bumpy spent his first night in human care in a nursery in Kenya’s capital, curled up on a mattress on the floor opposite a devoted caregiver named Simon.

He was then flown by helicopter to Kaluku sanctuary near Tsavo East National Park, where he was cared for by keepers until he was strong enough to be released back into the wild.

Adorable footage shows the needy baby perched on top of his carer during a helicopter ride to southern Kenya.

Bumpy was discovered nudging her head against her dead mother in a Kenyan lake, after she was thought to have died protecting the calf in a territorial fight (Bumpy was photographed after being pulled from the water)

He spent his first night at a Nairobi-based nursery, cuddled up with a devoted caregiver named Simon.

Bumpy then flew by helicopter to Kaluku temple and spent the journey on a keeper

Hippopotamus described as ‘full-bodied’ ‘follows its keepers like a shadow’ in the sanctuary

It is expected that the baby hippo will become strong enough and be released into the wild.

‘Kaluku is the perfect place to raise an orphaned hippo,’ Ms Sheldrick added. ‘The nearby Athi River is home to many inhabited pens.

‘We hope Bumpy will join their ranks when he is old enough.’

Described as ‘full-bodied’, Bumpy ‘follows his keepers like a shadow’ at the sanctuary where baby elephants and rhinos are often orphaned.

He has his own shallow pool, usually joined by a “fairly watery” human companion. Eventually, when Bumpy gets a little older, he will be free to bathe in the nearby rivers.

The baby has joined a 12-month-old hippo named Musumbi at the sanctuary, but the pair are being kept apart for now.

It is hoped that the hippos can be released into the wild of Tsavo to live as part of a group when they grow up.

According to its website, the Sheldrick Trust works to ‘protect the natural environment’ across Kenya.

It was founded in 1977 by Angela’s mother, Dame Daphne Sheldrick, and is known for rescuing, breeding and rewilding elephants and rhinos at the Nairobi-based Orphans Project.