Watching the dozens of baby elephants are being cared for at Nairobi Elephant Orphanage in Kenya touches my heart. The calves are being raised by a dedicated team of conservationists because their family members were sadly poached for their ivory.
The babies are surviving because of the efforts of Dame Daphne Sheldrick, who has devoted her life to rescuing the orphaned animals.
For more than 40 years, Dame Daphne has successfully hand-reared newborn elephants, preparing them for return to the wild on her elephant orphanage near Nairobi.
She is the first person to have perfected a milk formula that mimics a mother elephant’s milk. She says the orphaned elephants have not only inspired her pioneering conservation work through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, they have taught her much about living.
“Elephants have taught me how to put the bad things behind turn the page and get on with living,” she says. “Understanding the traumas that elephants have to put up with and how they cope with it has made me a stronger person.”
Dame Daphne passed away on April 12, 2018. But her legacy lives on. Please visit Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to learn more about their continuing conservation efforts.
Dame Daphne wrote several books about her experiences rescuing elephants. These include: Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story, The Elephant Letters: The Story of Billy and Kani, The Unsung Heroes.
Share Dame Daphne’s inspirational work saving elephants with your friends and family!
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.