In conservation circles, it is well known that elephants have similar feelings to humans: family ties, affection, grief, a sense of playfulness, going the extra mile, memory and fear.
There cannot be many creatures more endearing than a baby elephant, but alas, some stories behind meeting such adorable creatures are sad and horrible, as most have been orphaned and/or traumatised, usually by poaching or drought, and these sentient and sensitive babies need special care. In conservation circles, it is well known that elephants have similar feelings to humans: family ties, affection, grief, a sense of playfulness, going the extra mile, memory and fear.
Fifteen years ago, my family visited the pioneering Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi’s National Park. The first thing that was striking is that there is a 117-square-kilometer wildlife park actually in the centre of Nairobi, where a few minutes from your office or hotel you can hear and see buffalo, black rhino, hyenas, giraffe, lion, leopard, baboon, zebra, wildebeest, cheetah, and quantities of birds. The second extraordinary thing is the Elephant Orphanage set up by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick (DBE) in memory of her late husband David (MBE), the founder warden and innovator of Tsavo National Park and scholar of elephants.
The orphan sanctuary was established in 1977 to rescue and rehabilitate baby and young elephants and rhinos back to the wild, a process that can take 10 years. The dynamic couple of Daphne and David left an incomparable legacy to their remaining naturist family. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) is now run by her daughter Angela, her husband Robert Carr-Hartley, and their two sons, and the rescuing continues all over Kenya.
Angela remembers “From the moment I opened my eyes, there were elephants. I was fortunate to grow up in Tsavo East National Park, which is Kenya’s largest national park and is surrounded by wildlife. Eleanor was the established matriarch of our orphaned elephant herd back then. She was a gentle giant, towering and magnificent, yet she could be completely trusted with a little child grubbing around at her feet. She helped raise all the orphans that came into our care back then, so her motley herd consisted of not just younger elephant orphans but also rhinos, buffalos, ostriches, and a pesky zebra.”
Today, the SWT is active in everything related to elephants, conserving habitats, and providing water for wildlife. There are 25 anti-poaching teams, including aerial surveillance and canine tracking teams; veterinary care to alleviate the suffering of injured wildlife across the country; SWT operates 3 helicopters, 1 aeroplane, and six ambulances; and also community outreach and education. Nearly half of Kenya’s 45 million people live below the poverty line. Poor education, poor health, and unemployment all combine to create a cycle of poverty. SWT aims to improve the livelihoods and educational standards of everyone living along the borders of Kenya’s national parks and protected areas. Angela explains “To further our mission to support the continued education of rural Kenyans, we fund a scholarship programme and currently sponsor the education of 27 students from communities in the Tsavo Conservation Area. To help struggling communities, we rolled out a new school lunch programme that provides a balanced, nutritious daily lunch for more than 8,000 students, and it has helped increase school attendance from just 30 percent to 100 percent. On our school bus, we take local students into the National Parks on guided field trips, fostering a love of our country’s heritage and educating the next generation on conservation. We also support schools with infrastructure, whether it be tree donations, school desks, or sports equipment.”
The Nairobi Nursery Unit provides a loving home for traumatised elephant youngsters up to about 10 years old; they are tenderly cared for 24/7 by a rota of specially trained keepers who can sense their needs and can bottle feed, provide play, bath, comfort, rest, and kinship. The babies connect deeply with each other, and groups form strong “family” bonds; likewise with the keepers, but they are careful not to make keeper-elephant attachments too exclusive. The baby elephants are taken for daily walks and learn the rudiments of foraging and wandering; they have a lovely gloopy mud bath and water to wallow and play in; until they are at least 3 years old, they are dependent on Daphne’s specially devised milk formula every three hours, fed from giant bottles and with copious quantities of sweet-smelling hay.
Angela recalls the rescue of Murera from Meru National Park in 2012. This two-year-old had trod on poisoned spikes set by poachers, and in her efforts to keep up with her herd, she fell hard, breaking her hip. She was in excruciating pain, but Daphne saw hope and refused to euthanize her. Given that an elephant has a lifetime of some 65 years, if it takes a year or two to recover, it is worth trying to give her that fighting chance. Murera survived but was a bit lame. She was moved to the Kibwezi Forest in the new reintegration unit Umani Springs, a lush forest with crystal-clear springs percolating from the ground, thus not far for her to walk in search of food and water. As the matriarch of Umani Springs, Murera offered selfless love and guidance to the new orphans coming through the special needs reintegration unit, many of whom were themselves compromised. One orphan was a young bull called Luggard, injured by a poacher’s bullet that shattered his hind leg. Murera put her life on hold to support him every step of the way. She would ensure the others rotated through babysitting when she needed to briefly leave his side to feed. Alas, Luggard did not thrive; after 18 months, he slipped away, and his death left Murera devastated.
The keepers’ hearts broke as they watched Murera mourn. The night after Luggard passed, for the first time, she didn’t return to the stockades and instead limped off into the forest. After spending four days away with the semi-independent orphans and the wild herds, she returned and slotted back into her normal routine of sleeping in the stockades. The Keepers felt sure it was part of Murera’s mourning process. A year passed, and suddenly it dawned on everyone that Murera was pregnant. Angela says, “No one could believe it—in our wildest dreams, we never thought Murera would have a family of her own, as we felt she could not bear the weight of an amorous wild bull elephant through the mating process. She had obviously premeditated this entire pregnancy, leaving to find a mate in the wake of Luggard’s death in order to replace him with a baby of her own. As she came closer to her due date, we worried if her hip and pelvic area would be able to give birth to a full-term calf. Murera was very grumpy through much of her pregnancy; her keepers were constantly by her side, helping out where they could. On hot days, they cooled the kicking calf in her stomach by splashing water over her belly, and they spent hours talking to her ever-increasing bulge.”
Finally, on March 12, 2023, Murera gave birth to a perfect baby in front of her keepers and the other Umani orphans. To everyone’s delight and astonishment, the labour was seamless and over within a few minutes. Two magnificent wild bulls joined the fold and stood vigil with her for two full days and nights. The keepers felt sure that one of the bulls was the baby’s father, given how dedicated and protective he was. As the third day dawned, Murera was still not letting her baby suckle, and everyone felt it was time to intervene. The keepers began to milk Murera and then bottle feed the baby so she could get the colostrum that is so important to a newborn’s health. In a staggering display of trust, Murera was perfectly amenable to this plan, allowing the keepers to milk her and feed her baby right before her eyes. This continued for ten days, day and night. Finally, on the 11th day, something clicked, and Murera finally allowed her calf to suckle. A month on, and this little family is thriving, supported by their army of nannies, two-legged and four-legged.
Angela says, “Mwana, as we called Murera’s baby, is the most loved, pampered, and content baby of two worlds, equally attached to her mother and the Keepers who were so much a part of her early days. We never dared think this could be Murera’s future—that she would have her own wild-born baby to nurture, love, and walk through life with—but a miracle has taken place before our eyes. We could not be prouder.”
Angela and Robert began the phenomenally successful elephant fostering programme in 2001, whereby an individual anywhere in the world can support an elephant for as little as £40 a year. The Sheldrick Trust website details the tragic story of each rescued elephant, and it is impossible to resist wanting to help. The trust is funded by these foster parents and other donations.
When the babies are ready, they move to one of the three Sheldrick centres in Tsavo with a long-term view to reintegration. These are purpose-built stables and stockades where the young elephants spend the night safely or where they can return to in the day if they feel like it. Recently, we visited the Voi Stockade, where there were 28 elephants ranging in age from 2 years to 10 years. Although unrelated, they have formed family groups and are touchingly protective of each other. A group of experienced keepers keep a watchful eye over their charges. In the morning, the elephants are released into the national park and head off for their frolic in the nearby water hole, which the elephants reckon is big enough for all 28 of them at once, so they all pile in and get muddy. It is quite obvious they enjoy this, and then they head to the cleaner water hole for a long drink. Meanwhile, the keepers are standing by to break up any argy-bargy between frolicking elephants. Kenya is experiencing a long drought, requiring the water to be topped up by bowsers daily. Wild elephants and other species also benefit from these water sources. After the water play and during the day, the orphans are free to roam at will and mingle with wild elephant herds; eventually, some older orphans will join the wild herd and leave the Sheldrick environment. Many will return to visit and greet their keepers affectionately, sometimes even bringing their own young back for an introduction.
Visitors are allowed by prior appointment at all the SWT units; booking can be done online. The keepers are wonderful at providing a narrative and answering questions; our party found the visit incredibly moving, and we learned so much.
Tsavo is a mighty inhospitable landscape, but tourists can be superlatively comfortable in one of the six elegant Sheldrick camps, mostly on the banks of the Galana River. These eco-lodges are run on a not-for-profit basis, with proceeds going back into SWT field conservation initiatives. Recently we stayed at Galdessa Camp, which is worthy of a feature in an interiors magazine. It is decorated by Angela in an eclectic mix of Indian furniture, Moroccan rugs and cushions, and Kenyan bush-style upholstery. Bedrooms are in massive tents with ensuite bathrooms and terraces with a view across Tsavo; they offer every comfort: fans, cotton bedlinen, feather pillows, hot water, solar lighting; extraordinarily capable and good-natured chefs cater for every taste; nothing is too much trouble; Sheldrick Hawkeye guides will escort on game drives and spot things most naked eyes would overlook; and guests receive the cheeriest of welcomes and service throughout.
The scope of the whole joined-up enterprise is impressive, and so are the results; so far, 316 orphans have been successfully raised, with 55 known babies being born to wild-living orphans.
The SWT work continues as habitats continue to shrink. Angela says, “It has never been more important that we secure, protect, and manage vulnerable tracts of wilderness, particularly ‘buffer zones’ between protected areas and community land. This has become a huge focus area for us, but it is also one that needs donor support, as properly managing these all-important areas is an enormous, long-term undertaking. However, it is also one with a proven track record; when properly cared for, nature can regenerate incredibly quickly. These initiatives improve the lives and livelihoods of rural Kenyans, too, as good conservation initiatives benefit both wildlife and the communities who live
alongside them.”