Max may be blind, but he knows exactly what’s going on around his boma. He’s keenly aware of his wild neighbours’ comings and goings, especially the cheeky warthogs and their piglets, who descend on his boma for dinner with or without an invitation. It’s usually the smallest creatures that have the most audacity! Speaking of small but audacious, look at the oxpeckers perched on Max. These birds pick ticks and other parasites from their host, and in the wild they also act as an early alarm system, alerting rhinos to approaching danger. Meet Max: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

It’s pretty dry around our Kaluku Neonate Nursery, so Kaikai and Bungalu are making the most of every fresh bunch of greens. Today they hit the jackpot! Bungalu has been tucking into grown-up food for a while now, but at 17 months old he still has a bottle of milk every three hours, day and night. He arrived with very little energy, having survived a lion attack, a storm, and weeks on his own before the community helped rescue him. Now he’s filling out – so much so that his Keepers predict he will grow into a very big elephant in the fullness of time. Adopt Bungalu: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

Emergency treatment of a snared lion. It was tourists who first spotted him: a male who should have been in his prime, hobbled by a snare embedded tightly around his left forelimb. Born Free and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) alerted our nearby Veterinary Unit, which works in the Meru landscape. Our team darted him with anaesthetic and removed the snare right there in the bush. The vet’s prognosis? A good chance of recovery, with continued monitoring to see how he heals. Not every lion we reach can be saved, but we go to each one. Working with KWS, our Vet Teams have attended 252 injured lions to date, from spear wounds to human-wildlife conflict injuries. Your donations make this possible.

Toto famously hates to get wet. We thought he might grow out of it – but as he gets older, he only seems to get more set in his ways. Most afternoons, he manages to dodge the mud bath entirely, this time acting like he has very important business to attend to with his favourite Keeper, Sammy (who has been with him since he was a baby!). Toto is a sensitive young bull who thrives with extra cosseting, so we happily play along with the ruse. He was rescued as a days-old orphan, delivered into our care by ex-orphans. Now four years old, he is gradually working his way back to the wild from our Ithumba Reintegration Unit. Discover Toto’s story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

We’d like you to meet someone very special! (Though nanny Nyambeni rather overshadowed the introductions…!) Crowned with a little halo of hay, Poppi is the latest addition to our foster programme. Rescued last month, she is carrying on the legacy of her mother, Poppy – a famous matriarch who reigned over Amboseli for more than five decades. We’ll be sharing little Poppi’s full story over the coming days, but first things first: we wanted to give you a peek at the newest member of our Nursery herd. You can also head over to our website to learn more about Poppi and become one of her very first adopters: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

It’s a girl! Ex-orphan Chyulu has just arrived at our Ithumba stockades with a surprise in tow – a beautiful, brand-new baby girl. We’ve named her Chili. This is a big moment for Chyulu, and for all of us have been part of her story from the very beginning. We rescued this special orphan 20 years ago, then spent the next decade nurturing her into the confident, competent elephant she is today. Chili is Chyulu’s third calf – and while she is raising all her babies as wild elephants, she has introduced her human family to each one. We look forward to seeing little Chili blossom under the excellent guidance of her mum, just like big siblings Cheka and Charli. Discover Chyulu’s story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

Time has flown and Tytan has grown! In the year since he arrived at our Nursery, our orphaned black rhino has grown from a 300-kilogramme rescue into an impressive youngster weighing close to 450 kilogrammes! Yet he remains very much a baby at heart, enjoying regular naps on the forest floor with best friend Notty the orphaned zebra and his Keepers on sentry duty. Tytan is in our care because his mother fell from a cliff and died. Though he is being raised by humans, he is growing into a typical black rhino: he loves routine, prefers his own company and is a little bit moody. Celebrate his progress with us: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/n…

Notty has been branching out, mingling more and more with the residents of Nairobi National Park’s forest. Games of chase with orphaned elephants Wamata, Arthi and Daba have been the order of the day. They were slightly more willing playmates than the herd of impala who – to no ones surprise except Notty’s – didn’t run from the zebra! Rescued after her mother fatally fell from a cliff, she is growing up at our Nursery until she is ready to return to the wild.

What’s a girl to do when the bossy big girls won’t let Talek get a look in with the babies? Lie down on the forest floor, wave her trunk about, and invite the cheekier members of the herd to play! Arthi couldn’t resist. Given half a chance (when Mzinga allows), Talek shows a real nurturing side. We know her time will come eventually. It was the kindness of a huge bull that probably saved her life, after he let the lone orphan tag along in the Mara wilderness, home to plenty of opportunistic big cats. But since he couldn’t provide the milk she needed to survive, we were asked to rescue her. She’s been with us ever since and will stay until she’s ready to rejoin the wild. Adopt Talek: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

A heavily pregnant bushbuck, caught in a snare. Had she gone undiscovered, she and her unborn fawn would not have survived. On a morning patrol, our Meru Anti-Poaching Team found her trapped but still alive. Working quickly, they cut her free, gave her some time to gather herself, and then watched her dash off into the wilderness. Our 30 Anti-Poaching Teams, run in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, patrol key habitats across Kenya, and every snare they find can save an animal’s life – or two. If you’re in a position to give, please consider supporting our field teams: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/d…

As they say, it takes a village. When the indefatigable Lenny (finally!) got tired and settled down for a nap, the whole herd circled in to watch over him. Truth be told, everyone was probably thrilled to have a few quiet moments while their most energetic member rested! Lenny is a ‘grandchild’ of our Orphans’ Project: his mother was orphaned when she was just a baby herself and raised in our care. Now, she and her peers are all grown up and nurturing their own families in the wild. Meet the 95 known babies born to our Orphans’ Project: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

A sight we’ll never tire of. Our ex-orphans came to visit on Sunday, and Nesheshi had the honour of leading the herd. Hers was one of our most challenging rescues. After her mother was shot and killed, she very nearly wasted away, and reaching her meant airlifting her in a customised sling beneath our helicopter from a remote corner of Laikipia. This video is why we moved heaven and earth to save her: we could give her the family and support she needed to survive and return to the wild. And she has. Discover her story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

A month in the cockpit with our pilots. Which scene from the skies is your favourite? We started with a single aircraft. Today our Air Wing includes helicopters and fixed-wing planes, and it has become the backbone of our conservation work – vital for veterinary interventions, monitoring and even rescues. This is conservation in action: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/n…

Ashanti’s name means strength, courage and resilience. She has needed all three to survive. First, a poacher’s snare severed her trunk, cutting off the ‘fingers’ that let African elephants forage so dextrously. She was especially vulnerable growing up at the height of a drought. Then she got completely stuck in mud. Her herd couldn’t save her – but, thankfully, our rangers found her in the nick of time. Now she is one of our ‘Voi kids’, a group of orphans all rescued during the drought and growing up surrounded by love and support. Ashanti has adapted marvellously to life with a shortened trunk. She still relies on our care, but we’re optimistic she will thrive in the wild one day. You can play an important part in her story by adopting her: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

From stuck in the mud to starting her own family: meet Ithumbah. Sixteen years ago, our Ithumba team found a young calf trapped in a drying dam. Caked in thick grey mud, she was almost invisible – it’s a miracle she was spotted. Today, that same elephant is living wild and is the mother of two beautiful daughters. Ithumbah grew up in our care before reclaiming her place among Tsavo’s elephants. She gave birth to her first baby, Iman, in 2022, and Iris followed last November. Though they lead entirely wild lives, Ithumbah and her girls still visit our Ithumba Reintegration Unit – our second photo was taken just a few days ago. The bonds of elephant family extend to the people who raised her. Your support helped make her journey back to the wild possible. Learn more: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

Watch out, Amali – Latika is keen to take your mantle as top nanny! Latika, our girl with the short trunk and big heart, is really starting to shine. She only graduated to Umani in December and, being a shy elephant, took time to find her place in the herd. Now she is one of the family, loving her new nannying duties. She has a soft spot for Lenny – and the lovable little rogue is certainly putting her through her paces! It’s a miracle Latika is with us at all. She was rescued with a snare wrapped tightly around her neck and struggled with poor health for a long time. Now she is thriving at our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit. Discover Latika’s story and support her through an adoption: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

Medwine went head-to-head with another bull rhino and came off worse. Territorial fights are a normal part of rhino life, but the wound to his head needed attention – enter our SWT/KWS Mara Mobile Vet Unit. KWS vet Dr Aminga darted him and, with support from Partakilat Conservancy staff, the team eased him into position for treatment. The wound was deep but had caused no lasting damage and was soon tended to. Medwine ambled off to a nearby salt lick, battle-scarred but none the worse for wear. His is one of 15,429 cases our veterinary teams have attended, in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service. Has a treatment of an injured wild animal stuck with you? Tell us below.

What does a happy elephant sound like? Turn up the volume and find out. Elephants put the ‘happy’ in reunion. Wild herds erupt into joyous trumpets and trunk hugs when a long-absent loved one returns, and our orphans do the same. When Keeper Joseph came back from leave, Kaikai and Bungalu were beyond elated, greeting him with rumbles and trunk hugs. Both calves lost their mothers, and little Bungalu even survived a lion attack. Raised by Keepers like Joseph, they will one day reclaim their place in the wild. Discover their rescue stories and support their journeys by adopting: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/o…

There are 95 little reasons to be hopeful for the future of Africa’s elephants walking around Tsavo. Sia is one of them. She may be a little girl now, but when she is all grown up and raising babies of her own, she will still be standing side by side with her mother, ex-orphan Sagala. Elephants are a matriarchal species, which means that females form lifelong family units. Sia’s parentage is what makes her story extra special. We know who her father is, having witnessed her parents’ courtship – none other than our ex-orphan Laikipia: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/n…