David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Day Trip

Located at the western end of Nairobi National Park, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant and rhino orphanage provides a captivating experience to witness baby elephants being nourished with milk from bottles and engaging in playful interactions. Knowledgeable keepers offer insightful lectures, detailing each orphan’s name and life history, shedding light on the circumstances that led to their orphanhood. This sanctuary, originally overseen by Dame Daphne Sheldrick in honor of her husband David, the founding warden of Tsavo National Park, serves as an ideal locale for those considering the adoption of a baby elephant.

While Dame Daphne passed away in 2018, her legacy endures through the trust’s continued efforts. The hand-rearing methods and elephant milk formula she meticulously developed, refined through years of trial and error, now serve as a model replicated across Africa.

During the hour-long open house, held between 11:00 and 12:00, the elephant keepers bring their juvenile charges out for play, featuring impromptu football games and refreshing mud baths. Afterward, the elephants and their keepers approach an informal rope barrier along one side of the “playground,” providing visitors with a prime opportunity to capture memorable photos. Each keeper delivers a brief presentation to the audience closest to them, emphasizing the essential care required for orphaned elephants. The youngest infants are assigned individual keepers for round-the-clock guardianship, including overnight stays in their stables. This commitment ensures that orphaned baby elephants receive the love of a surrogate family and ample stimulation, preventing potential health issues and ensuring their readiness for eventual reintroduction into the wild.