Founded in 1977 by Daphne Sheldrick in honor of her late husband, the famous naturalist David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE, the orphanage raises orphaned elephants and black rhino. After many years of trial and error, Daphne and her staff are the world’s experts on hand-rearing baby elephants, sometimes from birth. They use a specially devised milk formula for the youngest infants, and keepers have 24-hour physical guardianship of their charges, a responsibility that includes sleeping with them at their stables. Visitors observe the amazing accomplishments of dedicated men and women in the successful rehabilitation of the orphaned animals, a delightfully informal and instructive experience.
