Mo

Retired, enjoys reading, cricket, walking & holidays.

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

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: https://t.co/ELpBAGndch

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Beach walks are a favourite morning tradition for our Kaluku orphans. Kaikai never misses an opportunity stretch her legs and usually approaches the sandy riverbank at a sprint. However, she also never misses an opportunity to relax — upon arrival, she quickly settles into a snuggle session with Keeper Joseph!

Rescued as a newborn orphan, Kaikai never knew her mum. We are her family now, and she will have a home with us until she is ready to reclaim her place in the wild — a process that may take upwards of a decade.

By becoming an adopter, you can help us give Kaikai the care and support she needs. Adoptions help fund beach walks like this, snuggles and milk feeds. Adopt Kaikai: https://t.co/kDln4jg4mO

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

This is what an elephant's trunk looks like up close. Surprisingly hairy, as Natibu shows in our #throwback camera closeup! This little bull has survived extraordinary circumstances to be with us today, starting with a tumble into a pipeline: https://t.co/04LgwpJE8E

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Hose wars continue at Kaluku... kind of!

Korbessa's three old sparring partners – Toto, Natibu and Mwinzi – graduated to our Ithumba Reintegration Unit back in April. Her new sidekicks Lamuu, Subi and Wangalla all look up to her at our Kaluku Neonate Unit, but they're still small. They haven't yet learned the rules of a proper hose war so, for now, she's always the undisputed winner!

Adopt our little champion Korbessa: https://t.co/DGxl9ikht2

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Lancs Live @LiveLancs]

MP issues blunt update on Blackpool Airport commercial flight revival hopes
https://t.co/dGa873BYph

[Mo @1952mot]

@EBCheshire @MartinSLewis @youngenterprise I agree.

[Mo @1952mot]

@MartinSLewis Hi Martin, currently in the Greek islands and am finding more places are wanting to convert payments by card to sterling at POS. I have to stress charge in euros please. Please warn other people travelling this summer and paying by card. @Kazt2006

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Korbessa was once one of the tiny trunks. How times have changed.

We rescued Korbessa from a well in Meru National Park in August 2023. KWS rangers found her at first light, alone at the bottom. She was so exhausted the vet teams gave her fluids, glucose, and water at the scene, and she slept on a mattress while teams tried to find her herd.

When she arrived at our Kaluku Neonate Unit, she became a coveted baby of the herd. Two years on, Korbessa is now Kaluku's mini-matriarch – on the young side for the role, as the Keepers say, but she "unequivocally runs the show." Tiny Wangalla here is the new baby, and so the circle continues.

Start following Korbessa's journey today: https://t.co/CooVpdJj7e

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Whether giraffe or an elephant, it seems the consensus is the same: the higher the leaf, the tastier it is.

Kaikai has just turned one, which is still small in elephant terms – the older orphans get the best of any greens at standing height, so she has to work hard to get hers.

Luckily, she has a helping hand in the form of her Keepers who will help pluck the freshest greens and fruits off the bushes for the orphans. In fact, they usually keep a stash of them in their pockets as a tasty mid-afternoon snack. Just see: https://t.co/aZcwM4JA1y

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Like nesting russian dolls: Meet Muridjo, Wamata and Kipekee, each a little smaller than the next.

Muridjo is the oldest of the three, and the senior nanny of the group. Wamata is the middle sister, growing into a caring older girl in her own right. Kipekee is the smallest – our youngest, the ringleader, the one the others end up following.

All are orphaned elephants being cared for at our Nairobi Nursery, a place of recovery and hope for young orphaned elephants. Discover the magic of healing here: https://t.co/ELpBAGndch

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Kaikai was a girl on a mission. She slunk away from the mud bath with one thing in mind: more milk.

The empty bottles hadn’t escaped her notice and she had clearly been plotting ever since. Her belly was already full, courtesy of the now-empties, but she thought they might just bear a surprise extra serving.

Kaikai isn’t quite big enough to hold her own bottle, but she has fully grasped the technique. It was fascinating (and impressive) to watch her problem solve her way through the situation. She’s such an ingenious little elephant. (And don’t worry, we lent a helping hand in the end)

Kaikai is here today because of supporters like you. Rescued as a newborn orphan, she will have a home with us until she is ready to reclaim her place in the wild, a process that may take upwards of a decade.

Learn more about Kaikai and perhaps support her through an adoption: https://t.co/kDln4jg4mO

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Kipekee, drinks her milk under close supervision. Specifically, Muridjo's.

She is Kipekee's self-appointed bodyguard, keeping the older bulls at a distance during mud baths and intervening when she squabbles with Daba. She can do this as, like Kipekee, she is freshly fuelled on two bottles of specially formulated milk every three hours, day and night.

Every bottle Kipekee drinks is funded by people like you, and our wishlist gives you the chance to fund a milk feed, or a full day's supply.

Donate via the wishlist: https://t.co/nStdhlgvM4

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[FCAT @FCATrust]

Happy #ThankATeacherDay! A huge thank you to all our incredible teachers & support staff across our schools!

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Cleveleys News @cleveleysnews]

Played the #Blackpool edition of 'Monopoly' last night. Didn't enjoy it. I was stuck on Devonshire Road for about 40 minutes at temporary traffic lights.

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Good night and sleep tight to our smallest Nursery girls, Zuri and Kipekee. Keeper Julius arrived for lights out, but found the pair already asleep.

Little Zuri was only rescued last month. Kipekee wasn't too thrilled to share the spotlight but she's adjusting. In fact we felt so encouraged by their budding friendship we moved Kipekee's stable next door, so they can be night-time neighbours.

Zuri fell into a septic tank before her rescue and is our newest rescue. She's five months old and still vulnerable, but she's in much better condition than most that arrive in our care (so can fall asleep happily without a blanket).

Become one of Zuri's first adopters: https://t.co/RBNyett5B7

[Mo @1952mot]

@pickmypostcode 💓💓

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Kipekee is one of the youngest in our Nursery herd – and the most influential. When she dashes around the stockades in excitement, the others do the same. When she runs into the forest, they jog along behind. The Keepers have a phrase for it: Kipekee & Co.

Muridjo does most of the nanny shifts but you can also become a guardian to Kipekee too.

Adopting Kipekee helps fund her milk, her Keepers, and her years of growing up with the herd that's already devoted to her: https://t.co/yhPulvkrxr

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Kaikai just turned one.

She's our youngest orphan elephant at our Kaluku Neonate Unit in Tsavo – and still learning a lot about her wild world.

The first year of an orphan's life is the hardest. Up to 24 litres of milk a day, every three hours, day and night – round-the-clock Keeper care for years. Kaikai has another decade of that road ahead before she's ready to return to the wild.

Adopt Kaikai: https://t.co/kDln4jg4mO

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Kaikai is 11 months old and nearly every one of those days has been spent at our Kaluku Neonate Unit.

This tiny baby was rescued as a newborn from the Mara after rangers discovered her near the body of a dead female elephant. Since that fateful day, she's been raised by some of our most experienced Keepers — Misheck, Joseph and Simon — who shepherded her through the notorious teething stage and will continue to care for her through toddlerhood and beyond.

No cardboard box is safe from her. No milk feed gets mixed without her say-so. Sound like the kind of character you'd like to support? Adoptions help fund the daily care, milk feeds and mud baths she needs to thrive.

Adopt Kaikai: https://t.co/kDln4jg4mO

[Mo @1952mot]

@Kazt2006

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

A lot can change in a month.

When Toto arrived at our Ithumba Reintegration Unit on 20 April, he was overwhelmed. He ran to his Keepers when the older orphans crowded round and stuck close for days. His Keepers knew this about him – Toto doesn't like change much. So two trusted Keepers, Sammy and Lekoli, stayed on at Ithumba to help him settle.

It worked. By the end of the month, he was the one leading the group home. Most evenings now, it's Toto out in front, walking the herd back to the stockades for the night.

Hands up if you remember Toto's rescue?