Orphaned Baby Elephants Line Up To Hug The Woman Who Saved Their Lives
These days, more than 20 thousand elephants are poached each year for their ivory leaving many orphans behind. Though this heartbreaking tragedy is difficult to experience in the first place, some people have found themselves willing and ready help fight against these horrid crimes committed by humans who want nothing but ill-gotten gain – even if it means taking an animal’s life purely out of greed or vanity.
One person who is helping save elephants is Dr. Daphne Sheldrick of The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wants to protect animals and make sure that they have a place to live.
Kenya is home to many types of wildlife, but there’s one that stands out among all the rest – elephants! The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust exists for just this reason: protecting these majestic animals and preserving their habitats so they can continue living in peace tomorrow as well today.
They’ve saved dozens from poachers who would kill them without hesitation if given half a chance. They’re preserving elephants and the elephants are grateful!
The wildlife shelter is working extra hard to protect the elephants as they are hunted every day. In response, they have established an orphanage to look after the orphaned elephant calves. Despite their tough beginnings and sad reason for being there, the youngsters are cared for and protected at this institution.
Dr. Sheldrick has been caring for baby elephants in Nairobi since the 1960s, when over 50 of them lost their mothers and families. To fill the gaps caused by the youngsters’ disrupted nutrition, she works tirelessly to offer this physical and emotional nourishment to them.
Elephants are social animals that live in large family groups. Baby elephants require a lot of care and attention, and they would perish without the devotion of their family. When they become adults, they live in tight-knit families for up to 80 years. Dr. Sheldrick saved elephants by coming to Africa and caring for them so they could survive even though people were trying to kill them.
The elephants are so adorable, they line up and wait patiently for their love from Dr. Sheldrick! Her affection and attention are essential to the elephants, who line up for their huge dose of love and care from her around the clock.
She said: It’s not easy to care for the babies elephants at an orphanage. Dr Sheldrick said she learned a lot from them, too! The older ones play their part in helping make new arrivals feel more comfortable and less stressed during those scary first few days after they’ve lost someone dear; it can be like being given unconditional love through touch alone.
“Elephants have taught me how to put the bad things behind turn the page and get on with living,” she said. “Understanding the traumas that elephants have to put up with and how they cope with it has made me a stronger person.”