THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST VISIT-KENYA

The mention of the word Kenya...and all i can think of are the unforgettable times i spent there. My one week was pure bliss right from my experience in Nairobi to Mombasa the coastal city and Lamu the intimate island. My safari began with a trip to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT). DSWT noble cause is to protect and bring up young calves (baby elephants) whose mothers are fallen victims of poaching, drought or natural causes and rehabilitate them back into the wild. It is run by Dame Daphne Sheldrick who has vast experience in dealing with the young ellies.

The midday sun was scorching but this did not deter me from anticipating the baby ellies from the bush. In no time they came matching in one by one together with their elephant keepers, thirsty for the midday milk bottle feed and a dip in the waterhole.

The rumbling from the 'not so little' ellies was extremely loud and they gulped down their milk in a fraction of a minute and went to take a dip to cool down from the midday sun as well. They fooled around in the waterhole just as i would watch my nieces play with their friends in a pool. I have never witnessed little babies so determined to get right down and dirty. Pushing and shoving each other, one could tell they were having the time of their lives.

As the elephants played, the headkeeper narrated to us about  the baby ellies rescues, it was interesting to observe how he could tell them apart (apparently their identity is in the shape of their ears which have unique little nooks). To me, they all looked alike. The stories were absolutely heart wrenching. How a small ellie can witness the shooting of its entire herd which mainly are females and is led by a matriarch most of whom would compromise of human aunties, sisters and mother. It is no wonder the baby ellies are in such distress when they arrive at the nursery all alone and not to forget their perfect memory which replays exactly what happened. 

They mourn like we humans would, some looked sad as they sucked on the fingers of their keepers who have taken the role of their surrogate mothers. Some looked like they had lost the will to live. The keepers on the other hand were so gentle with the babies, giving them their undivided attention and affection. The ellies are fed their milk every so often just as they would suckle from their mothers in the wild. At night, each keeper is assigned to a baby ellie. They sleep in the same stable, providing comfort to the ellie and ensuring they get their milk feed during the night. If that isn't the full definition of noble, then i do not what is. The sacrifice coming from the keepers is short of a blessing.

Of concern, was the number of baby ellies at the DSWT nursery. Surely the magnitude of the poaching crisis in Kenya is almost getting out of hand and i shed a tear for generations to come. We who bear the responsibility of taking care of the world we live in, need to be more vocal perhaps more participative in the effort to save these wonderful creatures. African elephants are our heritage, it would be a shame that greed has led us down the trodden path of poaching.

I got to sponsor one of the baby ellies called Ziwa, a two year old bull who is now part and parcel of my family. My son from another mother and is getting bigger by the day. Till my next visit...