SheldrickTrust

Treating elephants often requires patience, perseverance, and a measure of good luck. Such was the case with this speared tusker, who took us on a Tsavo odyssey spanning a month and over a hundred kilometres before we were able to give him the help he needed. Read the full story here: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news #sheldricktrust #elephants #wildlife #kenya #africa #tsavo #animalrescue #vet #veterinary #spear #tusker #bull #sheldrickwildlifetrust #treatment #animals

Our favourite bickering siblings (of sorts), Sulwe and Lenny, are constantly trying to outwit and outshine each other. They turn the midday milk feed into a fierce race to the finish line, stout legs pumping and ears flapping. It’s far too contentious to pick a winner — Sulwe is on the left, Lenny right — so we’ll just call it a draw! Ironically, the trophies waiting at the end — the milk bottles — aren’t even for them, as they only nurse from their mothers, Sonje and Lima Lima - and occasionally matriarch Murera! They’re simply racing because it's fun and baby elephants in a protected space can have as much fun as they please! Meet Lenny, Sulwe, and the other ‘grandchildren’ born to our Orphans’ Project: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/calves #Sheldricktrust #elephants #babyelephant #Running #calves #animals #rescue #wildlife #kenya #games #milk #sheldrickwildlifetrust #africa #cuteanimals #Siblings #family

Happiness: a bale of lucerne and an attentive audience! The identity of this member of our orphan herd is given away both her playful behaviour and her positioning. She’s striking her signature pose, which generated her nickname ‘little frog’. When a rescued orphan is this happy, you know you’re doing something right. That’s made possible by our foster parents and Keepers. If you want to be part of the success, consider adopting Korbessa at: swt.bio/korbessa #SheldrickTrust #animalrescue #elephant #elephants #kenya #animal #wildlife #africa #animalsoftiktok #playtime #sheldrickwildlifetrust #silly #adopt

Persistence is an essential when working to protect wildlife. A week prior, we received reports of an elephant who needed help near Lake Jipe. We mobilised to the scene, only for the bull to swim into the lake — it would be too dangerous to attempt to treat an elephant in water, so we had to give up on the mission. In the days following, we conducted extensive aerial patrols to relocate the bull, but he remained elusive. Our pilots didn’t give up, and a week later, they had a breakthrough: He was spotted, again walking in the waters of Lake Jipe. The SWT helicopter managed to shepherd the bull towards solid ground. Dr Kariuki, the KWS vet who leads the SWT/KWS Amboseli Mobile Vet Unit, darted the patient from the air. As the elephant started to succumb to the anaesthetic, the team landed and commenced treatment. The bull had a deep, penetrating wound near his front ankle. He was originally spotted near a town, which suggests he could have been arrowed or speared in human-wildlife conflict. The wound had become badly infected and was at risk of compromising the ankle. The team cleaned out the wound, packed the site with antibiotics, and sealed it up with antibiotic spray. Given the severity of the injury he may need retreatment — we will monitor him closely in the coming weeks — but Dr Kariuki is optimistic about his prognosis. #sheldricktrust #elephant #bull #wildlife #lake #kenya #wildlife #vet #veterinary #dart #elephants #animals #animalrescue #nature #conservation #sheldrickwildlifetrust

New dawn, new day. Twiggy. the giraffe, marches to her own beat. Today she’s decided she’ll tag along with Chamboi, a black rhino, and Keeper Jackson. Whether it’s the wide range of vision she’s afforded by her tall stature, Twiggy is inherently nosey so her decision to join them will be very much based on wanting to know where they are headed on their morning walk #fomo Twiggy and Chamboi are just two of the many non elephant orphans currently in our care. Just like the rescued elephants, we provide them a home for as long as they need it, until they choose to reclaim their place in the wild. Learn more at sheldrickwildlifetrust.org #sheldricktrust #giraffe #rhino #morningwalk #walking #dawn #newday #animals #wildlife #kenya #rescue #africa #conservation #animalrescue #sheldrickwildlifetrust

Peering into a derelict tank, a herder on Galana Ranch was confronted with a most unusual sight: a young female lion, trapped at the bottom.  He reported the sighting to one of our teams on Galana, who went to investigate. The tank was deep and smooth-sided, making it impossible for her the trapped cat to clamber out. Given her condition, she had probably been stuck there for at least two days. If she was to get out, she needed a helping hand, and we were ready to offer it. Read the full story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news #sheldricktrust #lion #animal #animalrescue #lioness #kenya #sheldrickwildlifetrust #rescue #veterinary #wildlife #animalsoftiktok #africa #conservation

When treating nature’s giants, we use all the tools at our disposal: people, planes, helicopters, cars, and even metal detectors. After an elephant is arrowed, the arrowhead often remains lodged inside. This can have lethal complications — especially if the arrow is poisoned, which is a favoured tactic of ivory poachers. That’s why we left no stone unturned in this treatment. Read the full story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news #Sheldricktrust #elephants #wildlife #animal #rescue #veterinary #vet #treatment #conservation #injury #help #animalrescue #kenya #sheldrickwildlifetrust

Rescue comes in all shapes and sizes. Bibi - the buffalo - was found alone near Lake Jipe, with no herd in sight. Too young to survive on her own, intervention was essential. Now safe in our care, this weeks old, zoomies filled, bundle is receiving the dedicated support needed to grow strong and one day return to the wild. Every rescue is a commitment—not just to saving a life, but to securing a future. Support our Orphans’ Project and help give wildlife a second chance: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate #RescueToRelease #buffalo #sheldricktrust #baby #babyanimal #animals #rescue #wildlife #kenya #africa #sheldrickwildlifetrust #zoom #zommies #run #safe #conservation

We’re stepping into the New Year with baby Lenny! Born just a month ago, Lenny barely experienced 2024 before it was time to dive into a new year! He is a ‘grandchild’ of our Orphans’ Project, born to an orphan we rescued, raised, and rewilded: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/lima-lima-lenny #SheldrickTrust #SWT #kenya #elephant #conservation #adopt #family #newyear #elephants #animals #wildlife #sheldrickwildlifetrust #babyelephant

Christmas morning brought the most precious gift: Sonje, one of our ex-orphan elephants, introduced her first calf to the Umani herd. We’ve named her Sulwe, meaning ‘morning star’ in Luo, a fitting name for this bright, beautiful baby born as the dawn stretched across the Kibwezi Forest. Sulwe is the third calf born in Umani, to an orphan we rescued and raised. 🎉 Enjoy the full story of Sulwe’s arrival: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news #elephant #babyelephant #swt #wildlife #sheldricktrust #newbaby #babygirl #newborn #nature #animals #sweet #babyanimals #kenya #christmas #gift

Our Voi orphans enjoyed a treat this week, when impressive ex-orphan bull Laikipia dropped in for a visit! Ambling up - cool, calm, & collected - in that way he does, let's call it the 'Laikipia Swagger', it was as if he'd never been away. That's what makes these visits so special: Laikipia knows he always has a home base he can visit, whether just passing through as on this occasion, or for those times when he fancies a few days with his extended human-orphan family. Visit 26 year old Laikipia's profile page to read his original rescue story and updates since then! Go to: https://swt.bio/laikipia #sheldricktrust #wildlife #Home #swagger #elephants #animal #kenya #africa #voi #tsavo #tsavoeastnationalpark #rescue #animalrescue #living

You'll not usually see a giraffe sitting down: It makes them vulnerable to predators, and it's rather awkward getting up too! But, our girl Twiggy is not the norm! Rescued as an orphan, just days old, Twiggy's been hand-raised at our Kaluku Unit. Here, with her Keepers close by, she knows she's safe from external threats. With that knowledge, on hotter days she can sometimes be found taking a load off and relaxing in the shade! Read this special individual's rescue story at: swt.bio/twiggy #sheldricktrust #giraffe #animal #wildlife #kenya #animalrescue #conservation #sheldrickwildlifetrust #twiggy #sitting #rare #leggy #africa

Baby elephants learn from their mother, their herd, and first(trunk) experience. Everyday is filled with discovery. Finding his route blocked, Lenny - Lima Lima’s little boy - uses his trunk to inspect the cause of his rapid halt. Too big to move, too low to go under, too high to step over: you can almost see his mind whirring! Given it’s Lenny, you know what he wants to do is just run right through the big old branch! Enjoy the story of Lenny’s arrival into the world, which you can read on his mum’s profile page: https://swt.bio/lima-lima #sheldricktrust #elephants #baby #babyelephant #wildlife #sheldrickwildlifetrust #animal #kenya #africa #challenge #learning #lessons #trunk

When they return from time off, our Keepers are given the warmest welcome ‘home’ by their elephant family. Toto never holds back, especially when reconnecting with Joseph, who was his original Keeper. Toto is a little elephant, with a big story: he was delivered into our care by our own ex-orphans! Read more at: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/toto #elephant #babyelephant #toto #wildlife #sheldricktrust #animals #family #reunion #greetings #conservation #adopt #animalrescue #bonds #kenya #sheldrickwildlifetrust

Raha the Rhino Update! Our intrepid little girl in blue is doing well. While her journey remains a unique and unprecedented one, we are happy with her progress. Raha is more energetic, eating well (though still reluctant to consume the roughage that makes up a typical black rhino’s diet), and her injured rear end isn’t giving her any major issues at the moment. We continue to take things day by day, but at present, all is good in Raha’s world! Read this brave girl’s full story at: swt.bio/raha #SheldrickTrust #animalrescue #rhino #blackrhino #wildlife #animalsoftiktok #kenya #africa #animal #rescue #sheldrickwildlifetrust #endangeredspecies #heal

Mighty Maxwell savouring every mouthful of today’s breakfast treat of lucerne pellets! Max breaks the mould, being our only longterm resident at the Nairobi Nursery. Rescued as an orphan in February 2007, he is irreversibly blind. For this reason, he can never be safely rewilded, due to the fierce territorial fights that take place between male black rhinos. With a constant flow of visitors, including Keepers, orphan elephants, and lots of the local warthogs, our boy isn’t short on company when he wants it. But right now, it’s all the food! Read Maxwell’s story: https://swt.bio/maxwell #sheldricktrust #rhino #blind #blackrhino #wildlife #sheldrickwildlifetrust #animal #kenya #nairobi #rescue #eat #eating #breakfast #orphanage

There’s nothing like the joy of welcoming a wild-born calf into the world. Each calf mothered by an orphan we’ve rescued, raised, and rewilded represents life, hope, and the success of our pioneering approach in the hand-rearing of orphaned infant elephants. Your support makes this possible! Meet the 70 wild-born calves that we know of - a new generation alive today thanks to actions taken to save and nurture their mums - at sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/calves #sheldricktrust #elephants #baby #babyelephant #wildlife #animal #sheldrickwildlifetrust #kenya #africa #wild

As the day winds down, Chamboi makes his way back to the stables, where one of his Keepers is adding the finishing touches to his bedroom - some extra hay for his bed! It appears to get the 'squeak of approval' too! This little bull has come so far since his rescue, growing in confidence with each passing day. You can be part of Chamboi’s journey through an adoption: swt.bio/chamboi #sheldricktrust #wildlife #swt #rhino #blackrhino #bedtime #bed #animal #rescue #animalrescue #kenya #africa #sheldrickwildlifetrust #stable #bedroom #squeak

It looks like Lima Lima’s calf, Lenny, has been taking some training tips from Kiombo - the Messi of our Umani Springs herd (check our Instagram or X feeds to see Kiombo in action!) We’ll have to wait to see if Lenny sticks at it and takes his talents to a similar level, perhaps becoming the Ronaldo of the team! A healthy and protected herd is one full of fun. Your support makes that a reality at our orphan elephant reintegration units. sheldrickwildlifetrust.org #SheldrickTrust #Footwork #wildlife #elephants #baby #babyelephant #animal #play #sheldrickwildlifetrust #messi #ronaldo #conservation #cute

Treating a giraffe is a high-stakes operation. Immobilisation is essential, given their size and strength — but full anaesthesia is risky, due to their physiology. The patient is darted from the air. As soon as he begins to show signs of sedation, ground teams move in and rope his legs so they can safely lower him to a recumbent position. Once down, they secure his head. Giraffes cannot stand up without swinging their head, so this ensures the patient remains, quite literally, in safe hands for the duration of treatment. This treatment unfolded last year, following a sighting by Wildlife Works rangers. The giraffe had a cable snare around his neck; a favoured weapon of bushmeat poachers. Fortunately, it had not yet cut into the skin — but left untended, it could have caused a lethal injury. More about the lifesaving work of our SWT/KWS Mobile Vet Units: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/projects/veterinary-unit #Sheldricktrust #wildlife #giraffe #treatment #vet #veterinary #aerial #rescue #animal #animalrescue #kenya #sheldrickwildlifetrust #treat #wildliferescue #rapid #response