Founded in 1977 by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E, in honour of the memory of her late husband, famous naturalist and founding Warden of Tsavo East National Park, David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) claims a rich and deeply rooted family history in wildlife and conservation. Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and it's wilderness, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is today the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.
To date the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has successfully hand-raised over 244 infant elephants and has accomplished its long-term conservation priority by effectively reintegrating orphans back into the wild herds of Tsavo, claiming many healthy wild-born calves from former-orphaned elephants raised in care. The orphanage/nursery is in the Nairobi National Park.
Elephant calves orphaned by poaching, are brought here from all over the country. The baby elephants are specially nursed by dedicated staff, as they are highly dependent on milk. When the elephants are stable enough to survive on their own in the wild, they are then moved to Tsavo National Park, where they are carefully reintroduced into wild herds.
Visitors can experience calves being bottle fed on their milk formula and watch them play and splash in mud baths like toddlers.