Orphaned baby elephants form a line to hug the woman who rescued them.

Over 20,000 elephants are expected to be poached each year for their ivory, leaving numerous orphans in their wake. Fortunately, despite this tragic loss, some people are fighting to save these sweet babies’ lives.

Dr. Daphne Sheldrick of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is one such person. This trust was established to safeguard Africa’s wildlife and maintain habitats for the sake of all wild species’ long-term survival. Elephants are being saved, and the elephants are grateful!

The wildlife trust is striving much harder to conserve elephants as they are hunted every day. As a result, an orphanage has been established to care for the orphaned elephant calves. Despite their difficult origins and terrible reason for being there, the calves are protected and cared for there.

Dr. Sheldrick has been raising newborn elephants that have lost their moms and families in Nairobi for almost 50 years. She works relentlessly to replace the physical and emotional care that the babies would have received from their elephant mothers and fathers.

Elephants live in large family groupings, and baby elephants require a lot of attention and care. The newborns will perish if they do not have the love and support of their families. They can live up to 80 years in close-knit family groupings once they’ve reached adulthood. They only survive thanks of people like Dr. Sheldrick and her crew.

Dr. Sheldrick is adored by the lovely elephant babies, who exhibit their affection for her. As they are cared for around the clock, the elephants line up for their daily dose of love and attention from her.

It is not easy or a one-way street to care for the lovely newborn elephants. Dr. Sheldrick said the elephants taught her a lot as well. The orphanage’s older elephants also play an important part in assisting the newcomers in overcoming the stress and shock of losing their loved ones. They console and assist the newborns in getting through the first few frightening days so that they have the best chance of survival. She stated, “

“Elephants have taught me how to put the unpleasant things behind me, turn the page, and move forward,” she explained. “Knowing what elephants go through and how they cope has made me a stronger person.”

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