Interact with baby African elephants! Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya

Kenya is a treasure trove of wildlife!
From the Masai Mara National Reserve where you can see wildebeest crossing the river, to Amboseli National Park, which spreads out at the foot of Africa's highest peak, Kilimanjaro, it is a country that animal lovers will long for at least once.
In recent years, with the expansion of Japanese companies, I think it is a country that one might have the opportunity to visit on business trips.
There is a place that I would like both tourists who came for the purpose of a safari and those who do not have time to go on a safari due to business trips to visit.
That is the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Learn about wildlife issues

Is this really Africa? The capital Nairobi has developed so much that it overturns previous images.
I heard that there is a facility in the suburbs of Nairobi where you can interact with baby African elephants, and that is the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

This orphanage, located in a corner of Nairobi National Park where you can also go on a day safari and observe wildlife against the backdrop of Nairobi's skyscrapers, is a temporary home for baby elephants that have been rescued for various reasons.
We are working to protect orphans, lost children, and abandoned children whose parents have fallen victim to poaching, provide support, and return them to the wild.

Baby elephant drinking milk

One hour in the morning every day is open to tourists, where you can learn about wildlife issues along with the adorable behavior of baby elephants.
When I entered the red clay venue, the first thing I saw was a baby elephant around 1 year old! I was fascinated by the moment when I ran hard for the milk of the staff.
In zoos in Japan, where breeding is not going well, it is difficult to see African elephant cubs in the future, so it is a very valuable sight.
As I observed how cute they were, the staff explained the circumstances under which they were brought here.

It is said that he was trembling beside his mother elephant, who was killed for his ivory.
It may be a story from a distant country, but Japan was a country where the ivory market was thriving, and there are currently no restrictions on domestic transactions.
Therefore, my heart ached when I thought, "Maybe the ivory of this mother elephant came to Japan through the black market?"

Baby elephant playing in the mud

Next came the baby elephants, which were around 3 years old!
Even though it is a baby elephant, the offspring of the largest animal on earth are still large.

It was very cute to see him still a spoiled child drinking milk and playing covered in red clay mud.
They said that they would return them to the wild in a little while, and I felt that I wanted them to live happily and leisurely forever.

Sheldrick Animal Orphanage where you can learn directly about the current state of wild animals!
It is easily accessible from Nairobi, and it is a facility where you can enjoy the adorable behavior of African elephants.
You can also go on safari in Nairobi National Park and combine it with the nearby Giraffe Centre in one day!