Jambo followers! Today was our first day seeing wildlife, it was incredible! We visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is an elephant (and rhino) orphanage in Nairobi National Park. These elephants are orphans from all over Kenya, mostly either due to the drought or poaching (which is still a huge problem). The youngest elephant was just 8 days old. They were soooo adorable! We learned a that elephants are very similar to humans - in both development and emotional attachment. They live until 80 years of age and have a huge relationship with their mother. This relationship is so critical that at the orphanage the caretaker actually sleeps with the elephant! They cuddle and wrap their trunk around their caregiver. They have a tight knit family and suffer from emotional stress, some of the elephants there even have post-traumatic stress! They are treated there with veterinary medicine as well as reiki and homeopathy. We could treat them!!
As many people know, an elephant never forgets. This is totally true, and they will remember a caregiver even after they have been reintroduced into the wild and have been separated for years. Since their attachment is so strong, it takes 7-8 years to fully reintegrate them back into the wild. What a process!
The elephants ate, played, and had mud baths right in front of us. We even got to pet them. We took wayyy too many pictures too!! Up next: Elmenteita hike tomorrow. More wildlife to come as well, we are hooked!
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