Elephant Helped by Kristin Davis Returns to Her Caretakers to Give Birth to Her First Baby

Chaimu the elephant returned to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Ithumba Reintegration Centre to share the special moment with her former caretakers

Chaimu the elephant never forgets a friend.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), an animal welfare organization that rescues and rehabilitates orphaned elephants, saved Chaimu in 2009. According to the nonprofit, Kristin Davis found the abandoned and weak elephant calf while on a trip near Kenya's Chyulu Hills. She and a group of concerned animal lovers contacted Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for assistance.

The organization took in Chaimu and helped her build up her strength again at its orphaned elephant nursery in Nairobi. Once Chaimu was more independent, she moved to SWT's Ithumba Reintegration Centre, where she gradually returned to the wild and found a herd of elephants to be her family.

While Chaimu lives in the wild now, she still drops by the Ithumba Reintegration Centre, located inside Tsavo East National Park. During a recent visit, she brought her rescuers an astounding surprise: her first child.

Related: About 100 Elephants Are Rescued from Flooded Sanctuary: 'Biggest Evacuation We Have Ever Done'

According to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Chaimu arrived at the Ithumba Reintegration Centre on the evening of Sept. 24 and stayed behind while her herd moved on to give birth to her first calf, a boy, steps away from the people who helped save her.

"Ex-orphan Chaimu returned home to give birth in our midst, sharing her new joy with the people who raised her. We have named her baby — a perfect little bull — Chapa. As you can see, he is utterly adored," SWT wrote in an Instagram post celebrating the birth. "Chaimu didn’t grow up alongside her own mother, yet she is proving to be a confident and competent first-time mum."

The arrival of Chaimu's son, Chapa, is also cause for excitement for Davis. The And Just Like That ... star donated and closely followed Chaimu's recovery after finding the ailing elephant 15 years ago. She has also continued to support SWT since Chaimu's return to the wild by assisting other orphaned elephants and raising awareness about the nonprofit's work.

"I was so thrilled when I learned that Chaimu had a baby! The Sheldrick Trust is so successful in raising orphaned elephants and releasing them back into the wild that over 60 new wild elephants have been born to ex-orphans! The fact that Chaimu decided to deliver her first baby in front of the reintegration unit in Tsavo is also so exciting," Davis tells PEOPLE.

"This means she knew it would be a safe place to give birth, and she wanted to show her human family of keepers her new baby. The sweetness of the relationships between the ex-orphans and their human keepers is something I always love to see play out."

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust said that after Chaimu gave birth and had a moment to relax, her herd let out "a fantastic fanfare of trumpets" and surrounded the mother and son to welcome Chapa to the family. Since the calf's arrival, Chaimu and Chapa have continued to visit Chaimu's old keepers, and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust shared that the baby elephant always looks "plump, active, and utterly loved."

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This is a big year for Chaimu. Not only did she welcome her first calf, but she also became a model. The elephant mom is one of two SWT orphans used as models for the sculptures of the Great Elephant Migration, a traveling art installation of 100 life-size elephant sculptures.

The creators of The Great Elephant Migration's herd live in the Nilgiri Hills, Southern India, where elephants and humans coexist. The elephant sculptures were made to promote coexistence with animals and support conservation organizations worldwide.

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"Elephants face so many challenges around the world. The Great Elephant Migration does a beautiful job of discussing the importance of coexisting with wild animals. As land and resources are stretched thin, we can make choices that support environmental sustainability in our own lives, which will contribute positively to global sustainability," Davis says about the installation. "Also, we can support the organizations working to help the wild animals remain safe in their wild homes. Such as the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and many others."

The Great Elephant Migration can be seen in New York City's Meatpacking District through Oct. 20. After that, it will travel to Miami Beach, Fla., for December, with later stops in Montana, Wyoming, and California.

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