Alamaya arrived in 2015 – tail bitten off, ravaged by hyenas, barely alive.
He is 12 years old now. A wild elephant finding his place in the Kibwezi Forest, on his own terms.
The Maa word for brave is Alamaya.
Discover Alamaya’s story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/alam...
In February, our Aerial Unit flew 24,000km – half the circumference of the earth. Elephant rescues, a snared zebra darted from the air, nine human-wildlife conflict responses, two fires extinguished.
Entirely donor-funded. Day in, day out.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/aerial/feb-2026
Ten years ago, Umani Springs didn't exist. Now its first orphans are having babies of their own.
Lenny, Sulwe and Zigi are the latest arrivals. King of the forest and all.
Meet our extended elephant family:
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/calves
The best part about being an elephant Keeper? Watching an orphan you raised rejoin the wild – and go on to start a family of their own.
Join the family and help us create new dynasties in the wild: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans
Amali's distinctive tusks curve outwards – determined by the relatives who roamed before her. She lost her herd in the 2022 drought and the tip of her trunk to a snare. But she carries a piece of her family wherever she goes.
Discover her story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/amali
Quanza's mother and two sisters were gunned down by poachers in 2012. She came to us deeply traumatised. For years, she kept herself to herself. Now she is one of our finest leaders.
Healing cannot be rushed. Her story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/quanza
Olomunyak steals his friends' food. By day, he helps himself to Alia's browse. By night, he scoops pellets from Arthi's stockade – never mind his own pile.
He's so sunny nobody minds. It just adds to his charm.
Discover his story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/olom...
In February, the Yatta Anti-Poaching Team lifted dozens of snares, contained a bushfire, and – working alongside Big Life and PAMU – pushed three giraffes and eight zebras from private fenced land back to the conservancy. It happens 365 days a year.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/projects/anti-poaching
Elephants are afraid of bees. A line of hives along a boundary is one of the most effective deterrents there is. We manage 222 beehives, including a women's beekeeping group in the Kibwezi Forest. When people and wildlife coexist, everyone gains: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/projects/com...
Happy birthday, Losoito. To celebrate, she's having a party in the mud bath – and judging by the splashing, everyone is invited. When our pilot first spotted her in Tsavo West, she was two years old and keeping company with a large wild bull.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/losoito
Imp wouldn't exist without people who donated month after month for her mother Ishanga – not yet knowing how her story would end. Those donations funded milk bottles, Keeper care, and protecting her wild family today. For the next orphan found alone in Tsavo:
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate
The humble tyre: a perennial favourite. Korbessa waddles, wiggles, flips and kicks hers for hours. When she was younger, she'd play until she fell asleep against it. At two, she's also the one the Kaluku herd follows.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/korbessa
In 2024, our pilots flew 319,380 kilometres. The circumference of the Earth – eight times over. Nine fixed-wing aircraft, three helicopters, six pilots. Without them, hundreds of interventions each year would arrive too late – or not at all.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/aerial/feb-2026
The youngest member of the Kaluku herd, Kaikai approaches every day with the energy of a tiny force of nature – her Keepers describe her as quick-witted, curious, and utterly convinced she is the centre of the universe. Rescued days old from the Mara.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/kaikai
It's not just trunks that double up as pacifiers - as demonstrated by Jackson! A few soothing words and a chin massage ensure Mwinzi feels suitably adored by his surrogate ‘mothers’ in this throwback video.
See how much little Mwinzi has grown: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/mwinzi
Keeper Peter has company wherever he goes – Brutus, Bombi the zebra, and Pips rarely leave his side. So inseparable that when Peter needed to step away, he'd leave his coat on a branch. A revealing look at the bonds that form here:
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/fieldnotes/march-2021
Aviation fuel. Ranger hours. Recovery straps. Field tools. An aircraft big enough to carry an infant elephant. In February, three orphan rescues took to the skies – all made possible by donations. Their stories are coming soon: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/aerial/feb-2026
After a month in the wild, Mbegu stopped by Voi and headed straight for her favourite scratching spot. An orphan of human–wildlife conflict, she now roams wild – returning on her own terms.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/mbegu
Most orphans take their milk bottle directly. Serenget prefers hers poured drop by drop into her trunk. She's in good company – Namalok preferred to drink from a bucket, and he's since rejoined the wild. No two orphans are the same.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/serenget
An elephant-sized pacifier for one of our tiniest babies. Much like human infants, baby elephants derive comfort from suckling – the orphans love to mouth their Keepers' fingers. When hands are full, a bottle teat steps in. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/fieldno...
Found at a waterhole in Tsavo East, a snare around her neck, no herd in sight. Latika arrived at the Nursery at around 18 months. She turns 6 this week. In December, she graduated to Umani Springs alongside Kerrio and Kamili.
Happy birthday, Latika.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/latika
We have been eagerly waiting to introduce you to Lamuu. After a harrowing search-and-rescue, followed by many months of recovery from a terrible injury, this special little elephant is finally ready for her big debut.
Become one of her first adopters at: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/lamuu
"Little Serenget has got her leafy kingdom, and she's ruling it one munch at a time." – Keeper Walter
It was a routine water delivery that saved Serenget's life. Seven months recovering at Voi. Now out, settled, and Rokka rarely leaves her side.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/serenget
Ndotto is the smallest elephant we have ever rescued: 40kg, premature, found alone on a remote mountain peak with his umbilical cord still fresh. A community member walked down on foot to raise the alarm. Now 11 and living wild.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/ndotto
New Keepers don't just have to impress us – they have to impress the herd. When someone joins on a trial basis, we watch and wait. If the elephants embrace them, we have our answer. For a peek into the world of our guardians in green: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/fieldnotes/november-2023
Raising young orphaned elephants takes a community – of Keepers and people like you, who believe every wild animal matters. Milk-bottle feeds, mud baths, night-time cuddles, graduations: adopters make it possible to stay by their sides at every step.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans
In March 1987, a two-week-old elephant calf, Olmeg, was rescued. He arrived sunburnt and emaciated – and so young that round-the-clock care in the Sheldrick family home wasn't going to be enough. So Daphne built a stable. The very first one: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/projects/orp...
Under a year old and already the most curious elephant at Kaluku. First: cardboard boxes – kicked, worn as a hat, flopped upon until they collapsed. Now: a spade and a tyre she treats as throne, pillow and plaything.
sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/kaikai
Mwana would win the award for best big sister. In one month, our Keepers watched her referee a tug-of-war, lead the Nairobi trio on walks, and let little Lenny clamber all over her – all at two years old. The first grandchild of Umani.
www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates/murera-baby-mwana
We are endlessly grateful to every one of our supporters who help us provide the first-class care orphaned elephants need to survive, thrive, and ultimately return to their rightful home in the wild.
Are you one of our adopters? Like Thamana, we’re being nosy – who do you adopt?
