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When our orphans return to the wild, how do they find a herd? Slowly. Reintegration isn't a single moment – it happens over years. At our Reintegration Units in Tsavo and Umani Springs, orphans grow steadily more independent, spending days and then nights away, until the wild becomes home.... Even then, many still choose return to the place and people that raised them every now and again. Most don't go it alone. They join herds of ex-orphans who went wild before them, or form their own, made up of other ex-orphans they grew up with – the friendships made at the unit become the family they live wild with. Suguta lives out in Tsavo with the same four friends she's had since the Nursery. As for who leads – matriarchy settles the way it does in any wild herd: through age, temperament, and the respect of the others. Herds aren’t one amorphous unit either, groups will splinter off and then rejoin, and these splinter herds will have their own mini-leaders. For more about how we reintegrate orphaned elephants to the wild, a process we’ve honed over nearly five decades, visit:show more

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

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17,109 views • 2 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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Aura and Mwangaza have the best of both worlds. When our orphans return to the wild, they team up with their friends and age-mates to form herds. Over time, these herds continue to grow and grow as younger orphans join the mix. When these orphans have their own calves, the herds grow bigger still. For Aura and Mwangaza, the offspring of ex-orphans Arruba and Mweya, this is the perfect world Dame Daphne described: growing up cocooned with nannies and aunties, siblings and cousins, roaming wild but with the added protection of their mother's human family too. Today, we honour Dame Daphne's birthday. If you have a favourite quote of hers, share it below.

Aura and Mwangaza have the best of both worlds. When our orphans return to the wild, they team up with their friends and age-mates to form herds. Over time, these herds continue to grow and grow as younger orphans join the mix. When these orphans have their own calves, the herds grow bigger still. For Aura and Mwangaza, the offspring of ex-orphans Arruba and Mweya, this is the perfect world Dame Daphne described: growing up cocooned with nannies and aunties, siblings and cousins, roaming wild but with the added protection of their mother's human family too. Today, we honour Dame Daphne's birthday. If you have a favourite quote of hers, share it below.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

17,952 views • 1 month ago

Established in 2004, Ithumba is one of our most successful Reintegration Units, where dozens of orphaned elephants have reclaimed their place in the wild. Located in the vast, untouched northern sector of Tsavo East, it has become a hub for wild elephants, with herds visiting daily. It's got a great pool too! Learn more about our Orphans' Project:

Established in 2004, Ithumba is one of our most successful Reintegration Units, where dozens of orphaned elephants have reclaimed their place in the wild. Located in the vast, untouched northern sector of Tsavo East, it has become a hub for wild elephants, with herds visiting daily. It's got a great pool too! Learn more about our Orphans' Project:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

13,976 views • 1 year ago

In the shadow of Tsavo's Msinga Hill, our Voi Reintegration Unit has been preparing orphaned elephants for wild life since the early days of Dame Daphne and David Sheldrick’s pioneering conservation work. Here, orphaned elephants take their next steps toward independence. Each elephant develops at their own pace, as they build confidence and learn from each other, and passing wild herds, the skills they'll need for life in the wild. Since Eleanor's reintegration in the 1960s, Voi has witnessed countless success stories. Some orphans choose to venture far into the bush, others return regularly to these familiar stockades; taking a drink and reconnecting with their extended human family. Learn more about our Orphans’ Project:

In the shadow of Tsavo's Msinga Hill, our Voi Reintegration Unit has been preparing orphaned elephants for wild life since the early days of Dame Daphne and David Sheldrick’s pioneering conservation work. Here, orphaned elephants take their next steps toward independence. Each elephant develops at their own pace, as they build confidence and learn from each other, and passing wild herds, the skills they'll need for life in the wild. Since Eleanor's reintegration in the 1960s, Voi has witnessed countless success stories. Some orphans choose to venture far into the bush, others return regularly to these familiar stockades; taking a drink and reconnecting with their extended human family. Learn more about our Orphans’ Project:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

10,527 views • 11 months ago

This handsome chap is proof that our orphans might be raised by humans, but in adulthood, this matters little to the wild elephants they encounter. Wild bulls have been arriving at our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit in recent months, drawn through the Kibwezi Forest by our ex-orphans Lima Lima and the other female elephants at Umani. During their flirtations, these bulls don't seem to mind or care about our orphans' more unusual route to the wild – the 94 wild-born calves we know of are testament to this! One of these offspring is Moon, delivered last month. Meet her:

This handsome chap is proof that our orphans might be raised by humans, but in adulthood, this matters little to the wild elephants they encounter. Wild bulls have been arriving at our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit in recent months, drawn through the Kibwezi Forest by our ex-orphans Lima Lima and the other female elephants at Umani. During their flirtations, these bulls don't seem to mind or care about our orphans' more unusual route to the wild – the 94 wild-born calves we know of are testament to this! One of these offspring is Moon, delivered last month. Meet her:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

25,854 views • 14 days ago

All elephants celebrate a new baby with great fanfare, but our ex-orphans take it to the next level. Perhaps it is because they didn’t grow up in the wild, witnessing births within their natal herd. It has become a time-honoured tradition for ex-orphans to return ‘home’ to our stockades within days or even hours of giving birth, bursting with pride and eager to show off their new addition to the people who raised them. But, when an ex-orphan brings their new calf home, do they let our Keepers near? Some do, the choice is always theirs. Emily was the first of our Nursery-reared orphans to return with a wild-born calf, and she was confident enough to share her baby with the Keepers who had raised her. The most trusting examples are the ex-orphans who've returned to give birth at the Stockades - a miracle we've seen unfold twice. Emily is one of them. Melia is the other:

All elephants celebrate a new baby with great fanfare, but our ex-orphans take it to the next level. Perhaps it is because they didn’t grow up in the wild, witnessing births within their natal herd. It has become a time-honoured tradition for ex-orphans to return ‘home’ to our stockades within days or even hours of giving birth, bursting with pride and eager to show off their new addition to the people who raised them. But, when an ex-orphan brings their new calf home, do they let our Keepers near? Some do, the choice is always theirs. Emily was the first of our Nursery-reared orphans to return with a wild-born calf, and she was confident enough to share her baby with the Keepers who had raised her. The most trusting examples are the ex-orphans who've returned to give birth at the Stockades - a miracle we've seen unfold twice. Emily is one of them. Melia is the other:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

34,106 views • 2 months ago

At all our reintegration units the focus is on supporting the orphans as they transition back to the wild. For the female elephants this leads on to starting a family of their own. To date, we know of 77 calves born to elephants we’ve rescued and raised: their wild-living mothers choosing return, so that we might share in their joy. Three of the births in the last year have been in Umani. Babies Sulwe and Zigi, under the watchful gaze of mothers Sonje and Zongoloni, are two of them. Your support helps us rescue orphans, who in turn herald a next generation of elephants. Meet them at:

At all our reintegration units the focus is on supporting the orphans as they transition back to the wild. For the female elephants this leads on to starting a family of their own. To date, we know of 77 calves born to elephants we’ve rescued and raised: their wild-living mothers choosing return, so that we might share in their joy. Three of the births in the last year have been in Umani. Babies Sulwe and Zigi, under the watchful gaze of mothers Sonje and Zongoloni, are two of them. Your support helps us rescue orphans, who in turn herald a next generation of elephants. Meet them at:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

16,372 views • 10 months ago

No nonsense Sulwe reminds us that the matriarchy rules — even among the smallest elephants! Lenny tries to clamber atop her, she puts the tiny bull in his place, and then cements the matter with a move that speaks a thousand words! Established in 2014, our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit is fast turning into a crèche, as the first orphans raised here are growing up, coupling with wild bulls, and having their own calves. Lenny and Sulwe are two of the latest additions. Although they aren’t related by blood, these calves will grow up in the wild as siblings — not unlike their mothers, Lima Lima and Sonje, orphans who were raised side by side in our care. Learn more about Sulwe at:

No nonsense Sulwe reminds us that the matriarchy rules — even among the smallest elephants! Lenny tries to clamber atop her, she puts the tiny bull in his place, and then cements the matter with a move that speaks a thousand words! Established in 2014, our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit is fast turning into a crèche, as the first orphans raised here are growing up, coupling with wild bulls, and having their own calves. Lenny and Sulwe are two of the latest additions. Although they aren’t related by blood, these calves will grow up in the wild as siblings — not unlike their mothers, Lima Lima and Sonje, orphans who were raised side by side in our care. Learn more about Sulwe at:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

63,482 views • 1 year ago

Reintegrating elephants and rhinos looks a little different. But the end result – a life in the wild – is always the same. Central to the successful rewilding of both species is gradual acceptance by the locals. Our elephant orphans hone their survival skills over years through face-to-face interactions with wild elephants, and we tend to find herds are accepting of their presence. Rhinos are different. Deeply territorial, they don't welcome newcomers. Our rhino orphans learn through scent, dung piles and the slow process of being recognised by the wild rhinos around them. Every day, dawn to dusk, their Keepers walk them along the trails and dung piles left by their wild neighbours. The calf contributes its own, and gradually – over years – it becomes an accepted part of the local community. Apollo here is mid-way through that process. Read more:

Reintegrating elephants and rhinos looks a little different. But the end result – a life in the wild – is always the same. Central to the successful rewilding of both species is gradual acceptance by the locals. Our elephant orphans hone their survival skills over years through face-to-face interactions with wild elephants, and we tend to find herds are accepting of their presence. Rhinos are different. Deeply territorial, they don't welcome newcomers. Our rhino orphans learn through scent, dung piles and the slow process of being recognised by the wild rhinos around them. Every day, dawn to dusk, their Keepers walk them along the trails and dung piles left by their wild neighbours. The calf contributes its own, and gradually – over years – it becomes an accepted part of the local community. Apollo here is mid-way through that process. Read more:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

11,605 views • 1 month ago

Mbegu is gradually transitioning to a wild life and recently started sleeping outside the Voi Stockades — but, like any youngster flying the nest, she returns like clockwork for a free meal! This is all a part of the reintegration phase: short forays away from the dependent herd, then occasional nights out. Mbegu and her group now spend all their nights in the wild, although they continue to link up with the dependent herd most days. Eventually, those visits will likely become more irregular — all part of growing up! Thanks to our supporters, orphans like Mbegu grow up with a family and a wild future. To discover her story, visit

Mbegu is gradually transitioning to a wild life and recently started sleeping outside the Voi Stockades — but, like any youngster flying the nest, she returns like clockwork for a free meal! This is all a part of the reintegration phase: short forays away from the dependent herd, then occasional nights out. Mbegu and her group now spend all their nights in the wild, although they continue to link up with the dependent herd most days. Eventually, those visits will likely become more irregular — all part of growing up! Thanks to our supporters, orphans like Mbegu grow up with a family and a wild future. To discover her story, visit

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

12,536 views • 10 months ago

An orphan never graduates alone. Around age three, our orphaned elephants leave the Nursery for one of three Reintegration Units – and their closest friends make the journey with them. The destination comes down to an orphan's physical condition, the herd dynamics at each unit and conditions in the field. Most head to Voi or Ithumba in Tsavo East. Those unable to cover Tsavo's dry-season distances – like Murera and Sonje, whose injuries would have made that life untenable – graduate to Umani Springs, where the Kibwezi Forest's underground springs keep food and water within reach all year. Here is a flash back to our dependent herd welcoming graduates Toto, Mwinzo and Natibu earlier this year. More on how orphans reclaim their place in the wild:

An orphan never graduates alone. Around age three, our orphaned elephants leave the Nursery for one of three Reintegration Units – and their closest friends make the journey with them. The destination comes down to an orphan's physical condition, the herd dynamics at each unit and conditions in the field. Most head to Voi or Ithumba in Tsavo East. Those unable to cover Tsavo's dry-season distances – like Murera and Sonje, whose injuries would have made that life untenable – graduate to Umani Springs, where the Kibwezi Forest's underground springs keep food and water within reach all year. Here is a flash back to our dependent herd welcoming graduates Toto, Mwinzo and Natibu earlier this year. More on how orphans reclaim their place in the wild:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

22,027 views • 20 days ago

We know of 93 calves born in the wild to our ex-orphans. How? Because they chose to bring their newborns home. Some make the pilgrimage from the wild within hours of giving birth. They walk back to the Reintegration Unit they grew up at, find the Keepers who raised them, and introduce the baby. Others might return a few weeks or months after. Each time, our Keepers are like proud grandparents, over the moon with happiness. Yatta has done it four times. Melia twice. This is the moment Tumaren came back with her newest baby. Meet our wildborn family, all alive today because we chose to rescue their orphan mothers:

We know of 93 calves born in the wild to our ex-orphans. How? Because they chose to bring their newborns home. Some make the pilgrimage from the wild within hours of giving birth. They walk back to the Reintegration Unit they grew up at, find the Keepers who raised them, and introduce the baby. Others might return a few weeks or months after. Each time, our Keepers are like proud grandparents, over the moon with happiness. Yatta has done it four times. Melia twice. This is the moment Tumaren came back with her newest baby. Meet our wildborn family, all alive today because we chose to rescue their orphan mothers:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

35,851 views • 1 month ago

A full house at the mud bath! Mr Bean, Bombi, Bibi, and Gruff joined Chamboi for his afternoon wallow. Gruff even had a face-to-face moment with the big black rhino! This is Chamboi’s appointed time for a mud bath, but in the spirit of friendship, many of the other orphans often gather in. Best known for rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephants and rhinos, we offer a home to any wild animal who has lost their family. We nurture them for as long as they need us, then reintegrate them into a protected habitat, where they can live wild among their own kind. Learn more about our conservation work:

A full house at the mud bath! Mr Bean, Bombi, Bibi, and Gruff joined Chamboi for his afternoon wallow. Gruff even had a face-to-face moment with the big black rhino! This is Chamboi’s appointed time for a mud bath, but in the spirit of friendship, many of the other orphans often gather in. Best known for rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephants and rhinos, we offer a home to any wild animal who has lost their family. We nurture them for as long as they need us, then reintegrate them into a protected habitat, where they can live wild among their own kind. Learn more about our conservation work:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

17,422 views • 10 months ago

When a new orphan arrives, our ex-orphans come home. In September 2022, we made an unusual call: we sent our newest rescue – a two-year-old orphan of drought – straight to our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit, bypassing the Nursery. Daylight was running out, Umani was close to his place of reintegration, and we thought the older orphans would be a good fit for him. Our ex-orphan Lima Lima had been away in the forest for three days, yet somehow she still knew... the day Kapei arrived, she walked straight up to his stockade and demanded the Keepers let her in. She spent hours with him, sharing his lucerne, before slipping back out. That formative moment set the tone for Kapei's recovery – from then on, he always knew he had a herd behind him. More recently, he has started to join them in the wild too, spending multiple days away from his Keepers at a time. By adopting, you can welcome an orphaned elephant, rhino or giraffe into your heart, and help fund the milk and Keeper care they need to return to the wild:

When a new orphan arrives, our ex-orphans come home. In September 2022, we made an unusual call: we sent our newest rescue – a two-year-old orphan of drought – straight to our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit, bypassing the Nursery. Daylight was running out, Umani was close to his place of reintegration, and we thought the older orphans would be a good fit for him. Our ex-orphan Lima Lima had been away in the forest for three days, yet somehow she still knew... the day Kapei arrived, she walked straight up to his stockade and demanded the Keepers let her in. She spent hours with him, sharing his lucerne, before slipping back out. That formative moment set the tone for Kapei's recovery – from then on, he always knew he had a herd behind him. More recently, he has started to join them in the wild too, spending multiple days away from his Keepers at a time. By adopting, you can welcome an orphaned elephant, rhino or giraffe into your heart, and help fund the milk and Keeper care they need to return to the wild:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

20,577 views • 11 days ago

As the sun rises, our rescued orphans venture into the wilderness. Guided by their Keepers, they spend the day exploring and learning the skills they will need to live as wild elephants. It’s a long journey from orphaned baby to independent adult — for some taking upwards of a decade until they feel ready to reclaim their place in the wild — but every step in their journey paves the way. You can support the orphans on their path through an adoption at:

As the sun rises, our rescued orphans venture into the wilderness. Guided by their Keepers, they spend the day exploring and learning the skills they will need to live as wild elephants. It’s a long journey from orphaned baby to independent adult — for some taking upwards of a decade until they feel ready to reclaim their place in the wild — but every step in their journey paves the way. You can support the orphans on their path through an adoption at:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

20,930 views • 1 year ago

Love isn't all about roses or grand gestures. At our Nursery in Kenya, it looks like a Keeper dragging a mattress onto the lawn so a sleepy (yet playful!) orphaned infant elephant can enjoy a rest. With over 300 orphans successfully raised to date, discover how we raise orphans with love (and lots of milk) so they can return to the wild:

Love isn't all about roses or grand gestures. At our Nursery in Kenya, it looks like a Keeper dragging a mattress onto the lawn so a sleepy (yet playful!) orphaned infant elephant can enjoy a rest. With over 300 orphans successfully raised to date, discover how we raise orphans with love (and lots of milk) so they can return to the wild:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

129,425 views • 3 months ago

Ten years ago a one-tusked wild elephant turned up at Ithumba – she was so disruptive that the Keepers nicknamed her 'Crazy One'. She has come a long way since then! Over the years our orphans taught her that the Keepers could be trusted, and today she moves freely between the wild and our Ithumba Unit, even taking our ex-orphans under her wing. Last year, she brought a newborn of her own into the fold, mimicking the behaviour of our ex-orphans in choosing to introduce her precious calf to her extended human-elephant herd. She was never one of ours to raise – but a decade on, she is unmistakably part of the family. Enjoy more stories from the wild at:

Ten years ago a one-tusked wild elephant turned up at Ithumba – she was so disruptive that the Keepers nicknamed her 'Crazy One'. She has come a long way since then! Over the years our orphans taught her that the Keepers could be trusted, and today she moves freely between the wild and our Ithumba Unit, even taking our ex-orphans under her wing. Last year, she brought a newborn of her own into the fold, mimicking the behaviour of our ex-orphans in choosing to introduce her precious calf to her extended human-elephant herd. She was never one of ours to raise – but a decade on, she is unmistakably part of the family. Enjoy more stories from the wild at:

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

20,790 views • 1 day ago

Mutara leading the ex-orphans in Ithumba! Every elephant here was rescued as an orphaned calf, raised through our Nursery and Reintegration Unit, before reclaiming their place in the wild. Many of them have gone on to become mothers multiple times over: You’ll even spot a few of the younger calves trailing Mutara. Please sit back and pause for a moment in our fast-paced world, to watch this scene of success: Your support makes it possible. Thank you!

Mutara leading the ex-orphans in Ithumba! Every elephant here was rescued as an orphaned calf, raised through our Nursery and Reintegration Unit, before reclaiming their place in the wild. Many of them have gone on to become mothers multiple times over: You’ll even spot a few of the younger calves trailing Mutara. Please sit back and pause for a moment in our fast-paced world, to watch this scene of success: Your support makes it possible. Thank you!

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

26,349 views • 1 year ago

The Voi orphans are most definitely enjoying their midday mud bath and cool down! Voi is at the heart of the Trust's past, present and future - even being our official beginnings, with David and Daphne Sheldrick raising the first orphans here. It's a place of transformation, where our orphans come into their own in this beautiful landscape, frequented by visiting wild herds. Learn more: #FridayFeeling

The Voi orphans are most definitely enjoying their midday mud bath and cool down! Voi is at the heart of the Trust's past, present and future - even being our official beginnings, with David and Daphne Sheldrick raising the first orphans here. It's a place of transformation, where our orphans come into their own in this beautiful landscape, frequented by visiting wild herds. Learn more: #FridayFeeling

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

14,252 views • 1 year ago