The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust runs an elephant orphanage in Nairobi, on the edge of the National Park. A very successful project rescuing baby elephants and re-habilitating them for release back into the wild were possible. The orphanage is open 11am every morning to the public and donations are welcome.
The charity was founded in memory of David Sheldrick who died in 1977 and the orphanage was set up and run by his wife Daphne, who has dedicated her life to the conservation of elephants. David had been the founder warden of Tsavo East National Park in 1948 and worked tirelessly to set up conservation projects in Kenya. Over the years the Trust has provided much needed funding for anti poaching, bore holes, staffing, veterinary care and has a training and release centre in Tsavo National Park.
The orphanage in Nairobi cares mainly for elephant and rhino babies, many whom have become seperated from their natural herds, stuck in mud, or been victims of poaching where their mothers have been sadly killed. There are from time to time other animal species that are fostered and cared for at the centre too.
There are a team of dedicated local keeping staff who care for the babies around the clock, they will be happy to talk to you about the upkeep and progress of the individual animals and each day there is a public feeding session where the keepers give a talk to the visitors.
It is possible to foster an orphan and thus help further the conservation efforts made by the centre. Foster parents or 'adopters' are able to visit later in the day by prior arrangement to see the babies before they go to bed at night.
The Elephant Orphanage is on the Langatta Road on the edge of Nairobi National Park and is easilly accessed from the city or from the suburb of Karen. We suggest you include a visit to this centre along with other sites of interest around Karen area and can include this in an itinerary for you.
