When a tiny new-born elephant is orphaned, it is often because its mother and family have been killed to serve the brutal ivory trade. For an elephant, family is all important; a calf’s very existence depends upon its mother's milk for the first two years of life.
A TRULY UNIQUE GIFT FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE
Give an orphan baby elephant the precious
gift of hope this Christmas.
As Christmas approaches why not give a
loved one a novel gift by registering them
online as a foster parent, and they can then
play an important part in the much needed
care and dedication that their baby elephant
needs.
In Kenya an Elephant Nursery exists nestled within Nairobi National Park under the auspices of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is overseen by Angela Sheldrick, whose elephant experience spans a lifetime. This pioneering organisation, which works in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service offers hope for any orphaned elephant fortunate enough to be found alive.
It took Daphne Sheldrick nearly three decades of trial and error to perfect the milk formula and complex husbandry necessary to rear an orphaned infant African elephant yet today, with support from many caring people world-wide, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is proud to have saved over 150 orphaned infant calves, which would otherwise have perished. More importantly, every one of these orphans can look forward to a quality of life in wild terms, living free in Tsavo East National Park protected by their new extended orphaned family and friends amongst the wild herds.
None of this would have been possible without help
of many people worldwide, for the rearing an infant elephant is an
expensive and long-term commitment during the time it is
dependent upon milk and a team of trained carers who represent the
lost elephant family and are there for the little elephant until
such time as it is comfortable amongst the wild herds and chooses
to become independent. The time involved depends entirely upon the
personality of each individual and also upon how well the elephant
can recall its elephant family, but all the orphans reared by The
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust are "elephants" again and
integrated into the wild community by the age of ten, though
always in their large elephant hearts will be a corner for the
specific humans who were their family in infancy.
The Baby Elephant Foster
Parent Programme,
Via email, your gift will include:
We
have made our fostering program digital, thereby keeping admin
costs down. Postage around the world is a cumbersome
administrative expense that we are now able to avoid through the
Internet. Any queries about the fostering program can be directed
to
info@sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
A fostering certificate with a profile and
photograph of your adopted orphan together with a description
of the Orphans’ Project;
An interactive map indicating where your
orphan was found and a description of the habitat and the
plight of the elephants (or Rhinos) in that particular area;
A monthly summary highlighting events of the
previous month together with a direct link to the ‘Keepers
Diary’ for your elephant. In the diary you will be able to
access the daily calendar entries and the monthly photos.
These updates can be printed off to enable you to keep a
journal highlighting the progress of your orphan;.
Along with the update you will receive a
collectable monthly watercolor by Angela Sheldrick;
From time-to-time, you will receive news of
new arrivals and rescues written by Angela Sheldrick
with accompanying photographs;
And most importantly, as one of our foster
parents, you are considered part of the DSWT team and we will
be keeping in personal contact with you as an important member
of our project.
A truly unique and novel gift that can be
enjoyed throughout the year
Choose an elephant orphan whose story
touches
your heart and whose name appeals to you.
NAMING THE ORPHANS
The Trust likes to name its orphaned elephants in a
way that can identify them with their origin. The orphans come from
all corners of Kenya and from many different elephant populations, so
they are usually given place or ethnic tribal names.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust P.O. Box 15555 Nairobi KenyaThe David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a non-profit in Kenya, a registered charity in England and Wales (1103836) and is supported by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust USA, a 501(c)(3) in the United States.
The Trust likes to name its orphaned elephants in a
way that can identify them with their origin. The orphans come from
all corners of Kenya and from many different elephant populations, so
they are usually given place or ethnic tribal names.