Visiting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust || Rescue of Orphaned Elephants

[@onnalexseeias]

Thank you for being there for the elephants, saving their lives and caring for them so they can return to the wild to live the life they were meant to have. 🙏😊❤️🐘❤️😊🙏👍🇺🇸

[@michellesheaff3779]

This is a lovely video about my favourite wild animal and a great tribute to the good work done by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I am a foster mum and follow the lives of various orphans of all ages so I feel the need to make one small note. The elephants are not "kept at the nursery until they are ready to be released back into the wild." Elephants mature at about the same pace as humans and are no more ready to survive on their own--amid poachers, predators and droughts--than a three-year-old child would be. Rather, once they are three or four, they are sent to one of three Reintegration Centres. There they continue to grow and mature, learn elephant survival skills in Tsavo National Park at Voi and Ithumba, and the gentler Kibwezi Forest at Umani Springs for the elephants with chronic health problems and the able-bodied elephants who support and protect them--such as Lima Lima the self-appointed chief of security, and Mutara the matriarch with a permanent leg injury. At all three locations, they interact with wild elephants and either join their herds or form their own with ex-orphans who have learned the ropes. This process can take several years as the Trust never dumps them when they are not ready. They usually make the transition gradually and are fully re integrated in their teens. And they are always welcome back for medical help when injured or water and alfalfa supplements during droughts (which due to climate change are gradually becoming the norm in Kenya.) So elephants need our help for much more than the nursery for the first three years. This was a wonderful video which provided a lot of good information. I just felt this point was important enough to be made.A three-year-old baby elephant would not survive poachers, predators, human-wildlife conflict, drought, snares and other traps, open wells and pits, etc not to mention THE grief, loneliness and terror. They need guidance, water and food and protection from their human-elephant family until they are in their teens. For example, one of my orphans, Shimba, died from a lion attack when he was 9. He and 5 other orphans were mingling with wild elephants when thunder caused a panic stampede and the orphans were led away from their keepers at a full on run. The Trust called in all its pilots and they and ground teams searched frantically. The pilots found 5 orphans standing completely lost under a tree. When keepers arrived calling their names the orphans ran towards them completely relieved and stuck to their keepers like glue. Another ground team soon found Shimba, but tragically he was badly wounded and had clearly been in a vicious fight with lions. They brought him back and gave him the best veterinary treatment and tender loving care. But his wounds had caused a deep infection no antibiotic treatment could overcome, no matter how hard they tried, and he eventually passed away of his wounds. I'm sorry it's a sad story but it illustrates even a nine-year-old with elephant friends is not equipped to survive in the wild. On a positive note, a couple hundred orphans, the great majority who are re-integrated through Voi, Ithumba and Umani Springs, are living their best elephant life and readapting to being wild elephants (with an elephant-human family they can always fall back on in times of need.) They have given birth to 54 kids and a few grandkids that we know of, and countless more through the male ex-orphans. If you get the chance, I would love to see a video of yours from any of the reintegration units. I always love to see glimpses of my orphans. My only orphan who has not moved on from the Nairobi Nursery is Nyambeni, the "pocket rocket." As tiny as she is fast and fiery. Did you get to see her?

[@rosemaryevans922]

Well said Michelle -- I thought exactly the same. Each Elephant chooses when he/she wants to try living in the wild with the help of other Elephants already living in the wild.

[@kMeijer]

Thank you for sharing your experience! It is the dream of a lifetime to do this!

[@jeps1973]

It is my dream to go there and your vid makes me want to go even more. I think those warthogs are the ones that visit the blind rhino. I also loved seeing the one baby who likes to drink with her mouth. Sheldrick has vids of her doing that in troughs. They are truly doing wonderful work. Thank you for the video.

[@bradjayson4872]

The tiny elephant calfs, its so sad that they don't have a herd of their Moms. Is there still draught in Nairobi? Sheldrake is one of the best elephant, wildlife sanctuaries in Africa. Another one in S.A. is HERD I understand that Sheldrake has given advice on raising elephants orphans to HERDS leader Adine

[@pamspencer5377]

I hope those green coats aren't raincoats. That would be stifling I would think

[@aimeefriedman822]

But they all know each ot, so even released, they are never alone.

[@timechild5129]

They are never "released" into the wild. They hopefully are invited to join wild herds. At about 10 they join wild local herds.

[@timechild5129]

Please search "Orphan elephant introduces newborn baby to her extended human-elephant family" - I hope you will search KZbin for video. Ex Orphan Wendi brings her third wild born newborn to Ithumba. 54 babies have been born to ex-orphans so far. This is truly what the trust is about. The orphans are "dependent" meaning milk dependent to about age 5. The must learn how to be a wild elephant from older ex-orphans and wild elephants.

[@KoxieNjeri]

Thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely look it up. I also plan to visit the integration centres and learn some more.

[@thomasbrigaitis]

Hey you time child1298 why do you have a problem with how these orphans grow up? They are alive & seem to have a good life & if as adults they come back to visit or get medical help why do you have a problem with that I read your rant and you seem angry Did you have a bad childhood & can't get over it well get over it I feel that Sheldrick Wildlife Trust does a good job in caring for these orphzns especially when so many have seen their moms die before their eyes Good job Sheldrick & thank you for all of your care God bless all of you

[@gabinathan5499]

I HAVE READ THE BOOK WRITTEN BY DAPHNE SHELDRICK ,IF U WANT TO B EXACT DAME DAPHNE SHELDRICK ,I WOULD RECOMMEND EVERY 1 WHO WATCHES THIS CHANNEL TO READ IT

[@timechild5129]

They are not released into the wild they join wild herds at about age 10. From about age 3 they move to Voi or Ithumba integration units where the hope is the orphans will be invited to join local wild herds. Umani Springs is the third facility for disabled orphans who likely will never be able to fully join wild herds due to their disabilities. For some it may be a life long residence at Umani Springs. Your initial comments are factually false the orphans will never be "released" into the wild. The commitment of the trust is for the lifetime of the orphans. It is not unusual for orphans who have joined wild herds to return to Voi or Ithumba for a visit or to seek treatment for health issues or most common to show their wild born babies to the staffs of Voi or Ithumba.