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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

@sheldricktrust.bsky.social
18K followers 1 following 1.7K posts

World leaders in the rescue and rewilding of orphaned elephants and rhinos, working across Kenya to secure a future for all wildlife. links.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org @SheldrickTrust on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Threads & YouTube

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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 33m
This months-old calf was attacked by predators at the height of the dry season. He survived, but was left with septic bite wounds – and a very worried mother. To treat him safely in the field, our team had to dart both mother and calf, then set to work cleaning the calf’s many wounds.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 6h
Is it a sign of Kaikai’s growing maturity – or simply that Bungalu is now strong enough to get his own back when she acts stroppy? Either way, on this occasion our Kaluku princess happily shared Keeper Jonas’s affections with her ‘little brother’. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bung...
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Elephant bottoms are rather sweet – and this one doubly so, because it belongs to Kipekee, one of our beloved Nursery babies. Every big girl goes out of her way to keep her safe from the boisterous boys.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Snapshots from our Voi Reintegration Unit taken by our Keepers – which is your favourite? 1. Ndotto, showing off his trunk and fingers. 2. Kilulu, showboating. Always. 3. Baby Nsimba offering Dabida a kiss. Want to see them finding their wild feet?www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/keepers-diar...
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
It’s fair to say Wangalla is obsessed with her Keepers. When they gather for tea in the evening, she pops into her stable, grabs a branch or two to munch on while they have their chai, and bimbles around the terraces from one Keeper to the next until bedtime.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Join Moon on a morning meander around the Ithumba stockades! Her mum, ex-orphan Melia, is just out of frame, confident that her daughter is safe to explore – and Moon is having a marvellous time to-ing and fro-ing among the wild elephants and ex-orphans who join our dependent herd for fresh water.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
If elephants had mug shots, this bull would have one. He was a repeat fence-breaker and his crop raiding activities put the people who live next to Tsavo West National Park in danger. It took helicopter pilots, crane truck operators, rangers and vets, working with KWS, to move him.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
After eight months away roaming wild in Tsavo, baby Sia and her mum, ex-orphan Sagala, stopped by our Voi Reintegration Unit with their herd. Sia started a game of peekaboo and Keeper Walter, like the proud grandfather he is, obliged. Meet the rest: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/calves
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Wamata doesn’t let a fence stand between her and her own personal paradise. This was more graceful than some of the attempts we’ve seen! She was found alone at just 12 months old, skinny and withdrawn. These days she bush-bashes, plays chase with Notty the zebra and hoovers up her dinner.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
We protect whole landscapes, not just individual animals. From young lions and a rhino mother and calf to a small toad, every one depends on the same thing: habitat. Across Kenya, our teams work with KWS, Kenya Forest Service and conservation partners to protect vital habitats.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Our wild-living Umani boys may strut into the dependent herd with ego to spare, but the girls know exactly how to bring them back down to earth. Faraja strolled up to the mud bath full of bullish bluster. Murera wasn't impressed – she made it clear he wasn't welcome until he changed his attitude.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Saving a snared zebra in 60 seconds. But it took a lot more than a minute to set this treatment in motion. Rangers found the stallion with a snare on his leg; Roan flew the vet team to Kenya's northern coast; Dr Lawi darted the patient, then the team moved in to remove the snare.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Behind every patrol is a whole operation. Our 30 Anti-Poaching Teams are the boots on the ground. Two Drone Units and our specialist Canine Unit operate alongside them, while our aircraft provide aerial surveillance and a 24-hour Operations Centre at Kaluku coordinates activity.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Kaikai exudes joy! She is the happiest little elephant, who starts every morning 'dancing' into the new day! Her best friend Bungalu is just as content, but a little more subdued about it! Rescued as a newborn orphan, she will grow up in our care until she's ready for the wild.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
24 hours. Three different species saved from human-inflicted injuries. One weekend for our SWT/KWS Mara Mobile Vet Unit – treating a giraffe in a wire snare, a zebra with a deep arrow wound, and a bull elephant shot in his rump. For the elusive zebra, Dr Aminga even took to a motorcycle!
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
There's a new challenger at Kaluku! Wangalla – the youngest of the herd, and by the Keepers' own account a character following in Korbessa's spoiled footsteps – squared up to the Queen of Kaluku herself for a sparring match. This contest may run and run. sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/keepers-diaries
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The new kid on the block! 🐘 Last week, our Ithumba Keepers and the dependent orphans gathered to welcome Comet – a newborn, and the 95th known calf born to an orphan elephant we rescued, raised and rewilded. Read the full story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates...
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Spotted alone by our SWT/KWS Canine Unit during a training exercise, the tiny calf was tracked for hours in the hope he would find his family. But no other elephants appeared. A year on, shy little Daba has blossomed into a confident, calm and increasingly mischievous young elephant.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Wild dogs are incredibly inquisitive by nature – and with our SWT/KWS Anti-Poaching rangers taking a break on patrol, it's hard to tell who is watching whom. Behind this quiet encounter is years of boots-on-the-ground conservation, helping this endangered species return to Tsavo.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Bungalu has mastered the art of holding his milk bottle with his trunk! Kaikai, meanwhile, hasn't quite got the hang of it yet – although we're not entirely convinced she's trying very hard. Why do the heavy lifting yourself when your Keepers are perfectly happy to do it for you?
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's milk time for Moshi! Every orphan in our care receives a unique milk formula tailored to their species, age and nutritional needs. Keeper Peter has every bottle feed perfectly orchestrated, under the watchful supervision of his adoring zebra shadows, Bombi & Brutus!
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A wildebeest had been caught in a wire snare. In her attempts to break free, she snapped the log anchoring it, but the snare remained intact. Nasaru Olosho Conservancy scouts tracked her for two days before the SWT/KWS Southern Mobile Vet Unit located her. Dr Lawi removed the snare.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Arthi is trying his best to impress, but a rhino and a zebra are a tough crowd! 🐘🦏🦓 When he spotted Tytan and Notty strolling by, he couldn't resist a little bellow and bluster. His audience remained completely unimpressed, so Arthi soon took the drama back to his friends!
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Big and little babies making the most of a splash! 💦🐘 We're still waiting for the rains in the Kibwezi Forest, where temperatures are soaring. For our ex-orphans and wild elephants, as well as the many buffaloes that call this place home, water points are an important lifeline during dry season.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A wire snare had become looped around his neck – but this week, this adult male eland got a second chance. The SWT/KWS Rift Valley Vet Unit responded to reports from Mundui Estate, carefully immobilising the eland and removing the snare before it could cause serious damage.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Someone's looking rather pleased with himself! Thanks to your support, rescued orphan Brutus has a lot to smile about. A full tummy, a safe place to call home, plenty of love and, most importantly, a second chance at life. Get involved and help spread the joy: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A snare was cutting deep into the neck of this young male lion, and with every movement, the wire would have tightened further. A member of Elsa's Pride, spotted at Mugongo Plain in Meru National Park. The SWT/KWS Meru Mobile Vet Unit removed the snare, and he was able to rejoin the pride.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal, capable of reaching 120 kph – but it hasn't been able to outrun the human threats pushing it towards extinction. Fewer than 7,000 remain in Africa. When a cheetah named Milele was found with an injured leg, our SWT/KWS Mara Vet Unit answered.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
After seeing Wamata's ambitious entrance into the coveted browsing quadrant, many of you wondered whether she managed the dismount with equal determination. For a moment, it looks as though she might vault right over little Daba, before thinking better of it and tucking back into the browsing.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
With style and determination – and no small amount of heaving and hoisting – Wamata clambered her way over the fence and into her own paradise: the fenced area by Max's stockade, where the older orphans sneak in for some illicit pre-forest browsing. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/wamata
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
During the dry season, waterholes can quickly change from givers to takers of life. As water levels fall, the mud can harden into a treacherous trap. When this elephant became completely encased in dried mud, our SWT/KWS Tsavo Veterinary Unit rushed in to help and free him.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Kaikai is our budding ornithologist. She's fascinated by the hornbills that flutter and flit around by day – and she'd very much like the feeling to be mutual. As you can see, it's a work in progress! www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/kaikai
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
With your support, our teams are patrolling every day — on foot and by air — to help ensure elephants like this aspiring tusker are protected and have a safe home in which to roam. Donate at: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A night trapped in mud had left this sub-adult female exhausted, but the SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Vet Unit was there to help. Working carefully, the team roped her and pulled her free. A life saved, and a very happy ending. Your support, and our partnership with KWS, make these successes a reality.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Our 2027 Calendar has just dropped! Featuring a year’s worth of photos of our orphan herd, it makes a wonderful gift for any SWT supporter – and a daily reminder of the wildlife you help protect. Proceeds from every purchase support our conservation work in Kenya.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Having polished off her two bottles of milk, Rokka remains in situ, gazing lovingly at her Keeper in the hope that he might magically reveal that today is the day she gets a third! Two bottles are, however, ample for this little glutton, who then heads down to the mud bath with the Voi herd.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Just as nature intended: a herd of buffaloes making their way to a natural waterhole to drink, wallow and cool off. Protecting wildlife means protecting the habitats and freedom they need to live naturally, without fear. Learn more: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Morning greetings from Bungalu! Someone is clearly pleased to see us this morning – although whether that swinging trunk is a greeting or an attempt to investigate the camera is up for debate! Bungalu spent weeks alone in the Tsavo wilderness before he was rescued.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Wamata has found a new toy! Rescued alone and in poor condition from Tsavo East in September 2024, Wamata has come a long way. Once shy and withdrawn, she is now very much part of the Nursery herd – and has plenty of energy for a little morning play. A sturdy log is all she needs!
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Up close with Balguda, an icon of Tsavo and one of the many elephants we protect. Born around the time the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was established, this remarkable tusker has survived decades of drought, poaching and the many challenges of life in the wild. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Helping elephants and people coexist. When this bull elephant wandered onto community land, our team sprang into action. With the fence safely opened by an SWT/KWS ground team, our pilot expertly guided him back towards the safety of the National Park.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is a big deal for Bungalu! For six months after his rescue, he never lay down – too weak and unsure he could get back up. Now, he's strong enough to enjoy a leisurely dust bath. Little Kaikai, however, wasn't convinced. Seeing her best friend lying down, she rushed over to nudge him back up!
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Decisions, decisions for Dabida: who should I have my midday milk feed from? 🍼🐘 Rescued during the devastating 2022 drought, Dabida arrived weak, emaciated and dehydrated. With time, compassion and plenty of milk, she grew into our feisty 'kali girl', known for her strong spirit and sharp temper.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A night trapped in mud had left this sub-adult female elephant exhausted, but the SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Vet Unit was there to help. Working carefully, the team roped her and pulled her free. A life saved, and a very happy ending. Get involved at: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
With your support, our teams are patrolling every day — on foot and by air — to help ensure elephants like this aspiring tusker are protected and have a safe home in which to roam. Donate at: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Every one of these elephants was rescued at their greatest time of need; they receive specialist care day and night before being given a second chance to return to the wild. After their midday feed, the 20 milk-dependent orphans in our current 22-strong Voi herd enjoy a mega mud bath session. 🐘
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Coexistence is key to successful, long-term wildlife conservation – and today, the SWT/KWS Mount Kenya Vet Unit took a step towards it. The team deployed a tracking collar on this lioness at Mugie Wildlife Conservancy, allowing KWS to alert the community when the lions are nearby.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Every day at Kaluku, battle commences over the fresh water hose – and Mwinzi was always one of the fiercest contenders. Then small Korbessa made 'hose wars' her own, winning through sheer persistence – and these days, with the boys in Ithumba, she guards it from Kaluku's newcomers.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
236.6 hours in the air. 30,180 kilometres covered. August was a demanding month for our Aerial Unit, from two challenging elephant translocations and a major rhino notching operation to supporting anti-poaching patrols, wildlife rescues and tackling a 3,900 acre bushfire.
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @sheldricktrust.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Keeper Peter has a rather zealous support team! His sidekicks and shadows, orphaned zebras Brutus and Bombi, take their devotion to the next level – keep an eye out for Bombi holding Peter's hand, the zebra way! The zebras insist on being first out each morning.
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