Visiting the Baby Elephants

After I had decided to travel to Malawi to visit my best friend, I realized I would only be about 1000 miles from the Daphne Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I grew up loving elephants and my mom and I have followed the progress made through the Trust for years.
Dame Daphne Sheldrick is one of those people who animals trust. Since she was little animals have allowed her to care for them.
Elephants in particular have had a rough time due to the illegal ivory trade and the Trust works diligently to end elephant poaching.
The Trust raises these elephants after they have lost their families. Elephants are incredibly emotional and there are a few elephants that are visibly depressed. As hard as that is to watch, The evidence of the keepers' love is tangible. You can read more about the Trust and the progress of the elephants here.

I love this picture because it shows the care taken for the grounds. This is a garden surrounding a house. I'm not sure what the house is used for, but it is right in the middle of everything and representative of how all the houses and structures are loved on the grounds. 

A Keeper took this picture for me. He noticed me trying to capture the little one sleeping and he offered to take a few for me due to his angle advantage inside the pen.

I ended up sponsoring 4 elephants Roi, Kamok (for my Mom), Kora (for my Dad) and Mbegu. These elephants all have unique stories that you can view if you select their names from the drop-down menu on the website linked above.

I also had the opportunity to meet Pea and Pod the ostriches, Kiko the baby giraffe, and Maxwell the blind, black rhino.

Visiting the Trust and the baby elephants was an amazing experience. The Keepers are steadfast and incredibly helpful. They are willing to talk to the public and answer questions or help you get the best shot of the sleeping babies. They clearly love their charges and their jobs.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to go see these amazing creatures and the beautiful haven created just for them.

P.S. DSWT has no idea who I am or that I wrote this blog post. All pictures taken by either myself or my Dad.