Have you ever wanted a baby elephant but don’t have the space or worry about the cost to feed him; and what about when he grows up and becomes a big elephant, what do yo do with him them? What if I told you that you could adopt your very own baby elephant and not have to worry about housing, feeding, or caring for him? Well its easier than you could imagine and not only do you get a cute little (OK not so little) baby elephant but also help out a wonderful cause at the same time. How you ask, keep on reading and find out.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant and rhino orphanage in Nairobi Kenya always has plenty of baby elephants (currently 25 in the nursery) and a few baby rhinos (currently 2) up for adoption and they will continue to care for them on your behalf. But before we get into the fostering, or adoption, program let me tell you a little about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
But first her’s a couple baby elephant photos for you to enjoy.
This is Kithaka
Kithaka was barely a week old when he was separated from his mother and her heard when they were chased out of an area near a settlement close to Ruiri outpost in the Lower Imenti Forest. Kithaka was lost and wandered into a nearby village where he was rescued by Kenya Wildlife Rangers. Unfortunately the rangers were unable to locate his herd and reunite him with his mother so he was brought to the Orphanage where he could be cared for and eventually be released into one of the many nature preserves in Kenya.
Kithaka is shown here drinking the much-loved milk which is a specially formula designed to closely mimic the mother’s milk and promote good health and growth in the orphans. The milk is the product of years of research and is still adjusted as needs arise.
If you would like to read more about or adopt Kithaka please view his orphan profile at http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fostering.asp and select him from the orphan list. I regret that I am not able to link directly to the individual orphan pages.
| Gender | Male | Date of Birth | Saturday, November 12, 2011 |
| Location Found | Imenti Forest | ||
| Age on Arrival | Approximately 1 week old | ||
| Comments on Place Found | He wandered into a village adjacent to the Imenti Forest | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Panic Separation / Stamped | ||
A little about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The trust was founded by in 1997 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E to honor the memory of her late husband, David Leslie WIlliam Sheldrick MBE and is dedicated to the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife.
Their mission statement;
“The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces all measures that compliment the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife. These include anti-poaching, safe guarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in wild terms when grown.” (http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/about_us.asp)
Speaks to their dedication to preserving the beautiful and wonderful wildlife that makes Kenya (and the rest of Africa) such a fantastic place.
The Trust is currently run by Angela Sheldrick, the daughter of David and Daphne. Angela was able to get the Trust incorporated in the U.K. as a Charitable Company in 2004 as well as Charitable status in the US increasing the Trusts funding capacity.
And now some more baby elephants
(after all that is what you are here to see)
This is Vuria
Vuria was orphaned in July of 2013 when his mother was killed by poachers after her ivory tusks in the Taita area of Luelenyi Ranch. Vuria was first spotted by members of the Italian Association of Experts on Africa who monitored him to see if he would be able to rejoin his herd, he did find company with another wild herd but was soon separated again and the Kenya Wildlife Service notified the Trust so that Vuria could be rescued and raised in the Orphans program.
A little older than Kithaka, Vuria still loves his milk but tries to feed himself and took the bottle from the handler. Unfortunately he did drop the bottle, but the handler was quick to retrieve it and give it backing making Vuria happy again
If you would like to read more about or adopt Vuria please view his orphan profile at http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fostering.asp and select him from the orphan list.
| Gender | Male | Date of Birth | Thursday, January 19, 2012 |
| Location Found | Lualenyi Ranch – Taita Hills | ||
| Age on Arrival | 18 months | ||
| Comments on Place Found | Calf found on its own trying to join different wild herds but not able to. | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Poaching | ||
About the Orphans Project
The Orphans Project stands at the very heart of the Trust’s conservation efforts and is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of orphaned elephants, rhinos, and other species. The trust has been able to hand-raise over 150 infant elephants which have all been released into the Tsavo nature reserve where they have been adopted by wild herds and have contributed several wild born babies to help grow the population.
The Orphans’ Project owes it’s success not only to the assistance of individuals and organizations but also to the contributions raised through the Fostering Program.
About The Fostering Program
I know, I know, I skipped the pictures of the baby elephants but don’t worry they are coming in just a minute I promise, but first let me see if I can separate you from just a little of your money (as little as $50 USD or as much as you want to give).
The Fostering Program allows anyone to adopt and foster a baby elephant (I told you I was going to tell you how to get a baby elephant, well here it is). The minimum donation is $50 for 1 year of fostering and you can adopt one for yourself or as a gift for someone else (my niece loves her elephant, Barsilinga). Not only do you get the joy that comes from helping preserve such a wonderful and magical creature like the African Elephant but you will also receive;
- A fostering certificate complete with a profile and photos of your elephant
- A monthly summary of the activities at the Trust and a link to the keepers diary for your elephant
- A collectible watercolor painting by Angela Sheldrick
- News of new arrivals accompanied by photographs showing their rescue
So please visit the fostering program at http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/fostering.asp or contact them directly at rc-h@africaonline.co.ke
You can also purchase one of my prints from this post and I will donate 100% of the profits (everything except printing and shipping costs) to the Fostering Program on your behalf. Please see https://echosbyerik.wordpress.com/prints-for-sale/ for information on ordering prints. I ask you to please order an acrylic or canvas print so that I will be able to donate more to the program, if you do wish to order a regular print I will still donate the profits but I may have to wait for multiple orders before I can reach the minimum $50 donation.
Now as promised, here are the rest of the baby elephant pictures
About the orphans show above
Unfortunately I was not able to get all of the orphans identified but here is some information on the ones that were identifiable.
Quick Facts about BARSILINGA
| Gender | Male | Date of Birth | Wednesday, March 28, 2012 |
| Location Found | Found near Wamba area, next to his dying mother | ||
| Age on Arrival | Approximately 2 weeks old | ||
| Comments on Place Found | His mother had to be euthanized as her wounds were too severe for recovery | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Poaching | ||
Quick Facts about MURERA
| Gender | Female | Date of Birth | Monday, September 07, 2009 |
| Location Found | Meru National Park | ||
| Age on Arrival | About 2 and a half years old | ||
| Comments on Place Found | She was spotted by Offbeat Safari guides. She had been on her own for several days. | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Poaching | ||
Quick Facts about ORWA
| Gender | Male | Date of Birth | Friday, December 03, 2010 |
| Location Found | Orwa community land near Nasalot and South Turkana National Reserve | ||
| Age on Arrival | About one year old | ||
| Comments on Place Found | He was rescued by KWS after being spotted alone by members of the Orwa community | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Poaching | ||
Quick Facts about SONJE
| Gender | Female | Date of Birth | Wednesday, April 20, 2011 |
| Location Found | Galana Ranch | ||
| Age on Arrival | About 12 months old | ||
| Comments on Place Found | Found on her own with an injury to the leg on Galana Ranch | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Poaching | ||
Quick Facts about TELEKI
| Gender | Male | Date of Birth | Wednesday, May 18, 2011 |
| Location Found | Judea area | ||
| Age on Arrival | About one and a half years old | ||
| Comments on Place Found | He was seen on his own in the community lands abutting Mount Kenya’s forests in the area of Judea. The fate of his mother remained unconfirmed but he was a suspected human wildlife conflict case. | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Man Made Cause for Separation | ||
Quick Facts about TUNDANI
| Gender | Male | Date of Birth | Friday, February 24, 2012 |
| Location Found | Northern Tsavo East/Tundani | ||
| Age on Arrival | Approximately 1 year | ||
| Comments on Place Found | Found alone wandering along the Tiva River | ||
| Reason for being Orphaned | Reason Unknown | ||
Thank You to Those who Help
I would like to join the Trust in thanking the following foundations for their grants supporting the Orphans’ Project
Care for the Wild International
Rettet die Elefanten Afrikas Ev.
Vrienden van de Olifant
Terre et Faune
Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz (AGA)
The International Fund for Animal Welfare
The Eden Wildlife Trust
The Swedish Foreningen Forsvar Elefanterna
As well as their commercial partners including:
British Airways
Pfizer
Nat Geo Wild
Animal Friends Pet Insurance
Chantecaille, Kathy Kamei Designs
Solgar UK
Metage Capital
Thank you and Sources
First I would like to thank Lina at the DSWT for her help in identifying the orphans in these photos.
Second I would like to thank all the care takers and others who work hard to help ensure these orphans are raised in a loving environment and helping them grow strong and return to the wild.
Third (and most important) I would like to thank my loving parents for adopting Lenana for me.
And last but far from least, I would like to thank all those who have adopted an elephant and helped contribute to the care of all the orphans in the orphanage.
Oh and I can’t forget to thank Bekka for reminding me that I needed to write a post :), thank you Bekka.
While I have tried to write original text and paraphrase what I read on the DSWT’s home page I can not say I was fully successful but I think I avoided out right copy and past (except the mission statement).
All information for this post comes from the DSWT’s website: http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
-erik
ECHOs By Erik 