Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Shhh, the babies are sleeping! (Sulwe closest, Lenny fidgeting behind, and Zigi is seen at the end) With three infants in the mix, our Umani herd now has a decidedly different rhythm. As adults, elephants sleep the least of any mammal, logging as little as two hours a day. But…

Our Aerial Unit is on patrol every day, covering vast swathes of wilderness to monitor wildlife, deter illegal activity, and respond to emergencies. Whether it’s supporting anti-poaching teams, mitigating human-wildlife conflict, or helping to deliver urgent veterinary care, our…

Since our early days - think 50 years ago - we've been involved in rhino conservation in Kenya. In recent years we've funded the extension of the Meru Rhino Sanctuary, treated injured rhinos, rescued orphans, and in May, our helicopter played a crucial role in moving 12…

When our newest wild-born baby, Kapuki, made her dawn debut at our Ithumba Reintegration Unit, Maramoja was there to welcome welcome Kalama's daughter into the fold. Once a rescued orphan, Maramoja has reclaimed her place in the wild and is now enjoying her as protective auntie…

Listen to this brave girl munching contentedly on leafy greens whilst the birds sing their daily chorus. It's hard to believe this wonderful mini matriarch of our Nursery herd once overcame partial paralysis to become the confident, caring leader she is today. From panic…

It’s official: Four-month-old Sunni is the most popular baby in Ithumba! Sunni’s cheerful, extroverted personality — paired with his mother’s easy-going nature — is a winning combination. While some elephant mums can be very protective, ex-orphan Sities generously allows the…

Maxwell is taking a lazy start to his week! Max is a double survivor — he is a critically endangered black rhino and he is also permanently blind, due to a congenital eye condition. We rescued him as an infant 18 years ago, after our Keepers found him lost and crying in the…

Chapeyu is becoming one of the gang! There’s so much behind this cheeky, trunk-up hello to the camera… We rescued Chapeyu in February after he was gravely wounded by a spear. At seven years old, he was much older than our typical rescue — but he had no chance of recovering on…

Yesterday, our Sky Vet initiative came into play in order to treat an injured lion in Sangayaya. The lion had sustained a a number of wounds to his back right leg, including a puncture wound on the hamstring — likely sustained from a buffalo's horns during a hunt. Despite the…

At our Nairobi Nursery, every orphan has a story, and every friendship holds meaning. Shujaa, whose name means hero, was rescued after becoming trapped in mud, while Weka was found during a routine aerial patrol, weakened from drought and all alone. Despite their difficult…

It was dusk when the report came in, but the SWT/KWS Meru Mobile Vet Unit knew this couldn’t wait until morning: A sub-adult buffalo was struggling to walk, hindered by a large log dragging behind her — a signal that she had been snared. Despite the limited daylight, the team…

A jaunty pose from Nyambeni — and some intrepid camera work by Keeper Peter! Nyambeni is alive today because an ordinary man went to extraordinary lengths to save her life. Following a suspicious noise from a ditch, a farmer was surprised to find a tiny elephant crying out to…

Epiya loves an opportunity to grandstand! Her Keepers affectionately call her their ‘feisty girl’ — when her heart-shaped ears go full sail, we know she is about to up the ante and cause a little drama. You can see how much she enjoys creating a stir — and as we always say, a…

Annually, we grow tens of thousands of indigenous trees in our nurseries, which we plant in deforested regions or gift to communities so that they can reforest their local area. Every sapling we deliver represents a commitment to environmental stewardship. With time and care,…

For Enkesha, life doesn't get any better than this! She's managed to bag Lenny, Sulwe, and Zigi, — the three babies of our Umani Springs herd — all to herself. Enkesha vies for nanny duties with other females in the herd, most notably Kiasa, but at the end of the day, it's…

Bondeni and Esoit have become great buddies. They’re evenly matched in terms of size and cheekiness, so they always have a lot of fun together. Foster parents may have already read this funny story in our newest batch of Keepers’ Diaries: One evening, the orphans gathered at the…

Kenya’s landscapes are home to some of Africa’s most impressive, and elusive predators: wild dogs aka painted hunting dogs, the secretive striped hyena, and the silent leopard. These species need vast, unbroken habitats to thrive — but their survival is increasingly threatened…

Pardamat — two folded ear tops — is well-known as the naughty boy among our Nursery Herd, always looking for cheeky opportunities to stirup trouble. When he instigated a sparring match with Olomunyak today, he perhaps wasn't expecting his slightly younger friend to not only stand…

Let’s do the milk maths! Every elephant at our Nairobi or Kaluku Nursery drinks two bottles of specialist formula milk every three hours, day and night. That’s 16 bottles of milk daily per baby elephant. (Wamata, seen enjoying her bottle at the end, is one such Nursery baby!)…

In this video, little Lenny can be seen feeding from Murera, Mwana's mother - a beautiful example of how female elephants naturally care for one another's young. Lenny’s mum, Lima Lima, has taken full advantage of this support network in Umani Springs since Lenny’s birth! In…