An orphaned elephant calf that was rescued and brought up by humans after being found starving and alone in an African riverbed has died.

Moses reportedly died in the arms of Jenny Webb, who had raised him after he was rescued by game rangers in Vwazi Wildlife Reserve in northern Malawi.

The calf, who is believed to have been suffering from colic and diarrhea, was said to be making a ‘good recovery’ just last month.

Sadness: Moses the rescued baby elephant was being looked after by humans in Malawi after being found alone and sick in a riverbed. He was thought to be making a good recovery just weeks before his death on Monday

Going for a walk: The calf was being brought up by Jenny Webb, founder of the Jumbo Foundation (pictured here with Moses and her pet dogs Barney, left, Bagheera right)

Bond: Moses cuddles his adoptive mother at their home in Lilongwe, Malawi. The pair became very close during their time together

Sweet dreams: Moses shared a makeshift bed with Ms Webb in order to help him get to sleep

She adopted the elephant, which was named Moses after being found in grasses in the riverbed.

Ms Webb said the rangers had tried to find his herd for two days without success and that his mother was likely to have been killed by poachers, ABC News reports.

The calf was looked after by Ms Webb and others at the Jumbo Foundation, an orphanage for large animals, which she founded.

When Moses was found, a post on the foundation’s website said that the rangers had seen him on his own ‘running around frantically trying to find his mother. The rangers monitored him and tried in vain to to locate the herd he belonged to.

A few days later, the rangers spotted the calf again in the South Rukuru River and his condition had deteriorated so much he was too weak to get out of the water. They decided to intervene and rescue the baby.

Thirsty: Despite being brought up by humans, Moses was expected to be able to be released back into the wild

New surroundings: Moses at his feeding place at the bottom of a staircase at his home in Lilongwe, Malawi

New friends: Baby elephant Moses makes his way into the kitchen with the sanctuary pet dogs, left, and is tempted with one of his foal milk formula bottles, right

They reportedly contacted a number of parks and wildlife organisations but none was in a position to take the elephant.

Ms Webb, was eventually contacted about the baby calf and agreed to take custody of him.

He was thought at the time to have just a 20 per cent chance of survival but this rose to around 50 per cent after several months at the sanctuary.

She began feeding him a foal milk formula as elephants do not start eating solids until they are eight months old.

Ms Webb also slept on a mattress next to the baby elephant as he would not sleep without having some form of contact similar to what he would have had with his mother in the wild.

Orphaned elephants are raised at the foundation in Lilongwe, Malawi, to ensure that they are physically and physiologically able to be released back into the wild.

Elephants need to live as part of a herd and other animals can make a good substitute, so Moses was kept with two pet dogs at the sanctuary, Barney and Bagheera.

Helping trunk: The calf is pictured with carer Jim Tembo as he mops the floor at the sanctuary in Malawi

Laid back: Moses is seen here with the pet dogs that became his constant companions

Second chance: The young elephant had been thought to have a 50 per cent chance of survival after being rescued on the brink of starvation