We often talk about how matriarchs shape elephant society, bulls are equally pivotal to the survival of their species. Not only do they sire the next generation of elephants, but they also pass on something equally important: their knowledge. Drawing from decades of experience navigating the wilderness, mature bulls offer a wealth of ecological expertise, such as where to find food and water in times of drought. They also make great ‘honorary nannies,’ as this scene shows! The baby here is Saba, the second wild calf born to Sunyei, an orphan we rescued, raised, and reintegrated back into the wild. When Saba got sleepy, he plopped down at the feet of a visiting bull. The bull happily stood guard over the little chap until he was done with his nap! Today, we wish a very happy #FathersDay to all the fathers and father figures out there, in all their forms! —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #bull #elephant #africa #family #father #fatherhood #love

Wishing a very happy Father’s Day to all the father figures in our lives! Today (and every day) we give special thanks to our Keepers. It takes an extraordinary person to raise orphaned elephants. Our Keepers often remark that they have their human children and their elephant children — but really, they’re all their children! They provide each with a lifetime of love, dedication, and support. This little baby will be guided by Keepers like Mishak and Peter every step of the way, until she is ready to reclaim her place in the wild. Ask any Keeper about their greatest pride, and you will likely hear the same answer: It is to see ‘their’ babies to grow up happy and healthy, and for them to ultimately start their own families. That is true fatherhood! —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #elephant #africa #family #father #fatherhood #love #dad #fathersday

Earlier this week, our Tsavo teams were working to save a snared calf. This is the moment she got back to her feet after a successful treatment! At three years old, this young elephant should have her whole life ahead of her. A single loop of wire threatened all of that. Now, she has hope for a better tomorrow. **If you swipe to the end, you can see footage of the actual snare removal — but please be warned that it’s a bit graphic.** This was a true exercise in teamwork. SWT/KWS Anti-Poaching Teams spot many elephant families while on patrol, but thanks our eagle-eyed rangers, they quickly realised that this particular baby had a serious snare injury. They raised the alarm and we mobilised a rapid treatment. While our SuperCub kept eyes on the family, our helicopter flew the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit to the scene. To read full details of the treatment and see more photos, tap our link in stories/bio or visit: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/help-snared-calf —— Photos & Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #tsavo #conservation #wild #elephant #wildlifevet

Sala is our matriarch of the airstrip. Our pilots can usually count on her to come say hello before they head out on patrol — or to pose rather impressively in front of our conservation aircraft! Sala is a very special member of our orphan herd. She came into our care in 2017, when she was just days old. Although she fully transitioned to the wild several years ago, she still chooses to share her life with us. Earlier this year, we were privileged to meet her newborn, a healthy little girl. Aside from raising her own offspring, Sala also looks after several of our young orphans, including Munyu and Lali the kudus, and sometimes Fumbi the impala. It has been wonderful to see how Sala has become a godmother figure to so many. —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #SalaSWT #kudu #kenya #whyilovekenya #antelope

Meet Sileita! This special girl is the latest orphan to join our foster program. We rescued her in March, after her mother was killed in a case of human-wildlife conflict. Sileita was found bravely standing guard over her mother’s body. We have spent the past several months helping Sileita heal from this tragedy and earning her trust. It has been a pleasure to see her bright, friendly personality emerge. Sileita is a girls’ girl and loves hanging out with Latika, Kindani, Kinyei, and Olorien. No doubt she is off to find them here! Because she is so young, Sileita is very cosseted and can usually be found at the heart of an elephant sandwich. Wherever you are in the world, you can become part of her herd, too! To adopt this brave little elephant and support her ongoing journey back to the wild, please tap our link in bio/stories or visit: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/sileita —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #SileitaSWT #elephant #rescue #kenya #wildlife #fosterfriday

“Each elephant is a unique individual, just as are we, and each has its own unique personality. They can be happy or sad, placid by nature or more volatile. They can even be playfully mischievous, delighting in playing harmless pranks on other members of the family or herd. They know envy and jealousy, can throw tantrums and harbour grudges about a perceived injustice, just like human children.” This is an excerpt from ‘Elephant Emotions,’ one of our favourite pieces written by our founder and matriarch, Dame Daphne Sheldrick. To read the piece in full, tap our link in bio or visit: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/elephant-emotions (And if you’re wondering who this little chap is, it’s none other than Mambo — the 49th known calf born to an orphan we rescued, raised, and reintegrated back into the wild!) —— Photo © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust / Mia Collis #SheldrickTrust #SWT #MamboSWT #kenya #conservation #elephants #elephant #DaphneSheldrick #emotion

Snare victims are all-too-common for our SWT/KWS Mobile Vet Units. Lethal in their indiscriminate simplicity, these wire loops come in all shapes and sizes. They are usually set to trap bushmeat, but will cinch noose-like around any creature unlucky enough to cross their path. A snare is capable of killing an animal as small as a dik dik or as large as an elephant. This bull (treated by our Tsavo Unit) fell prey to a massive cable snare. After a painstaking removal and treatment, he was back on his feet with a positive prognosis — but without intervention, the snare would have likely claimed his life. Our six SWT/KWS Mobile Veterinary Units operate in key ecosystems across Kenya, while our aerial Sky Vets reaches patients in remote locations. The teams conduct all manner of emergency treatments and save thousands of wild lives each year. To learn more about their vital work, made possible through your support, check out today’s stories. —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT @kenyawildlifeservice #conservation #wild #elephant #wildlifevet

Nguvu is a unique orphan. We rescued him in 2016, after he was found stuck fast in a drying water hole near Voi. He never joined our foster program, because he was rescued at an older age, went directly to Voi, and then transitioned to the wild very quickly. Although Nguvu’s time in our care was shorter than most, he clearly still sees us as family. We were reminded of this last month. After more than a year away, Nguvu arrived outside the Voi stockades one night, in the company of several wild elephants. He rumbled greetings to his old Voi friends, who were already tucked into their bedrooms, before disappearing into the darkness. In the weeks since, Nguvu and his herd have continued to visit us periodically. It is almost as if he wants to show off his old, human-elephant family to his new, wild family! We are delighted to see our boy looking so well and so loved by all the elephants he has joined. 1 • Nguvu’s first nighttime visit 2 • Nguvu (left) reunited with his old friend, Suswa 3 • Nguvu and his ‘new’ herd down at the baobab mud bath (he’s the smaller elephant in the foreground with the very impressive tusks) 4 • Nguvu shortly after his rescue —— Photos & Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #NguvuSWT #elephant #rescue #kenya #wildlife #oldfriends

A single bullet changed Sileita’s life. She was found guarding her slain mother, who had been killed in an incident of human-wildlife conflict. We rescued her on 28th March and now, after many weeks of healing, we are ready to introduce this special girl to our supporters. As we often find with orphans who have witnessed the worst of mankind, Sileita came to us very traumatised. She had a deep aversion to humans and refused any contact. Huddled in her stockade, she wouldn’t feed from a bottle and only accepted milk from a bucket. Day by day, exposed to gentle, nurturing love, she began to understand that her Keepers were kind men. Everyone celebrated the first time that she drank a milk bottle from their hands, then accepted a finger to suckle. Slowly, she grew in trust and confidence. Today, we invite you to become part of Saleita’s journey. To read her rescue story in full and support her through an adoption, please tap our link in bio/stories or visit: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/sileita —— Photos © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #SileitaSWT #elephant #rescue #kenya #wildlife

Kiasa has always been something of a trickster. While she’s calmed down a lot since graduating to Umani, she still can’t resist the occasional joke. Her favourite routine is to pretend that she has encountered a scary creature in the forest and come running back to the Keepers, ears flapping and trumpets blaring. Of course, this sends the other orphans into a tailspin and panic ensues. The punchline is that, far from spotting a frightening leopard or a buffalo, Kiasa has only found a harmless little creature, like a hyrax — and sometimes, she does this mischievous act when there is no creature at all! Today, however, all thoughts of trickery were far from Kiasa’s mind. She was having such a lovely time with her Keeper, Evans, that she was lulled into a standing nap! —— Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #SonjeSWT #KiasaSWT #mischief #elephants #umani #kenya

Last week, this bull was found drowning in a dam. When Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy raised the alarm, our SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Mobile Vet Unit rushed to the scene. They found the bull struggling, his strength sapping with each passing minute, but mercifully still alive. Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy organised for a grader to be driven to the scene. After Dr Aminga darted the patient, the team secured ropes around the bull, which enabled the grader to pull him to terra firma. As soon as he was on dry ground, the bull was revived. With one final helping hand, he got to his feet and strode into the bush — a majestic life saved from a terrible fate. — This is but one of many life-saving operations that unfolded last week. To read about the other two elephants we were able to help through similar teamwork, tap our link in bio/stories or visit: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/emergency-exits —— Video & Photos © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT @kenyawildlifeservice @oljogi #conservation #wild #elephant

Mudanda shows us how a little love and extra care can transform someone. This #SWTTransformationTuesday, discover her story. RESCUE: Mudanda was rescued in 2013, at the height of the poaching pandemic. During these dark days, we were inundated with orphans of poaching and the Nursery was already stretched thin. Because Mudanda was found close to Voi, the decision was made to bypass the Nursery stage and raise her in Tsavo. RECOVERY: Given the trauma she undoubtably witnessed, Mudanda was understandably aggressive and suspicious. Over the years, she calmed down significantly, but she was never known as a terribly friendly elephant. She preferred to remain on the periphery of the group and didn’t show much interest in nurturing the younger orphans. TODAY: That all changed this year. We will never know what spurred it on, but Ndotto saw something in Mudanda. He made it his personal mission to bring her out of her shell, inviting her to one-on-one sparring matches (as you’ll see in the third slide — Mudanda is on the right) and showing her how to interact with friends. This had a magical effect on Mudanda. It gave her the skills and confidence to become a nurturer of note, and she has even adopted Lemeki and Thamana as ‘her’ little babies (she is with Thamana in the fourth slide). Now, Ndotto doesn’t even invite Mudanda to sparring games, because he knows she is busy with her new caregiving responsibilities. His work here is done! Your support makes these miracle stories possible. To learn more about our work and perhaps support us through a donation or an adoption, tap our link in bio —— Photo & Video © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust #SheldrickTrust #SWT #MudandaSWT #ThamanaSWT #NdottoSWT #transformation #transformationtuesday