Fred Widdowson

I enjoy reading and spending time with my wife, Beth, and our four cats; Tootsie, Cassie, Abby, and Frankie.

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Our wonderfully wild ex-orphan mum Wendi paid us a visit (her family just out of shot).

We rescued her in September 2002 from the Imenti Forest. She was just days old and her umbilical cord was still attached. In the hope she'd pull through such a challenging recovery, we named her "Hope" in the local Meru language.

Thanks to round-the-clock care, including three-hourly bottles of milk, she came through the other side. Twenty-three years later, she's a wild matriarch with three daughters of her own – Wiva, Wema and Wimbi. She still comes home regularly to see the Keepers who raised her – and take advantage of any childcare our Keepers or her friends can offer (she's a free spirit at heart is Wendi).

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

Weekend reads: Media star loses doctorate for plagiarism; journal editor resigns for AI concerns; university removes dean for fabricating data https://t.co/EpY6m9jFQQ

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

@ClarksonsFarm1 Good morning and may God bless you.

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

News from Down Home, February 27, 1917, Somerset County Courthouse https://t.co/QWfbTcyZ12 via @YouTube

[Wildfriends Africa @WildfriendsUG]

Its beautiful how baby elephants hold on their mother with their little trunks just to be at pace with her on the move🐘💞

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

Bible Study on Isaiah 2, verses 1 to 5, let us walk in the light of the ... https://t.co/SrXYnmcNvb via @YouTube

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

https://t.co/Zyfc3LNS4i

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Do the orphans try to play with their Keepers?

Generally speaking, our Keepers play parent rather than playmate. They're there to feed, comfort, guide and supervise, not to wrestle. Think a finger to suckle on, or a calf resting their trunk on a familiar shoulder. When the orphans want to push and shove, they do it with each other. That's how a calf learns to be an elephant.

That being said, some characters are have such a joie de vivre that every interaction turns into play, Toto, for instance, liked to try and climb onto his Keepers and Bondeni would play chase with Peter!

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Snuggles with ‘dad’ are just the best.

Looking for a last-minute #FathersDay gift to honour the dad that’s helped raise you? Set up your gift adoption of an orphaned hippo, elephant, giraffe or rhino instantly and, on the date of your choosing, we will email your dad with their adoption certificate. Set up your gift at: https://t.co/CooVpdJj7e

Your gift can help use care for orphaned animals like Bumpy, and gives your dad the chance to watch their orphan grow - with no sleepless nights required of them!

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

Bible Study on Matthew 25, verses 1 to 13, the foolish took no oil for t... https://t.co/mcYNDppZD9 via @YouTube

[DNI Tulsi Gabbard @DNIGabbard]

Today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr. Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicized elements within the Intelligence Community to suppress the truth about his actions and hide the virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024. It’s time you know the truth.

https://t.co/3YJSstB7d4

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Wild elephant mothers don't raise calves alone. Nannies do half the work – older females who walk close to the newborn, step in when the calf wobbles, keep watch while the mother feeds, take over the standing-guard shift when she needs to rest. Among elephants, this role is called allomothering. It's how calves survive.

Melia and Kitirua have been close since their Nursery days, and when Melia chose to bring her new daughter, Moon, home, Kitirua was waiting to help.

Meet Moon: https://t.co/WjZQtajvUC

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

You might be able to change an actor's behavior in the short term by overwhelming them with power but changing their ideology, the cause of the harm they do, requires something that takes a lot longer.

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

War is a funny thing. No matter how much an advantage one thinks they have there are so many moving parts its just hard to say what will happen.

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

Those eyes.. 😊

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

News from Down Home, February 27, 1917, Crisfield Law Office https://t.co/gZuVUstfXr via @YouTube

[Wildfriends Africa @WildfriendsUG]

Unbelievable how this crippled baby elephant has persevered to grow into unstoppable adult!!! Nature is so beautiful 🥰😍🐘

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

World History notes, A Bible Believer Looks at World History, # 268: Nor... https://t.co/pQjkXGDfhv via @YouTube

[Fred Widdowson @FredWiddowson]

American History notes, # 283: Special topics: notable Native Americans,... https://t.co/qpZNpO1HUl via @YouTube

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

In a peaceful Indian jungle, an astonishing scene was capturing everyone’s attention. Perched on a branch at the same height as his companion, a young langur seemed to have found the perfect playmate: a young spotted deer.

With endless curiosity, the little monkey gently reached toward the deer’s muzzle and then toward its young antlers. At times, he lightly touched them; at others, he examined them as if discovering a mysterious treasure. Far from being bothered, the deer remained calm and patient, watching his friend with remarkable trust.

The langur delicately touched the deer’s muzzle and then its young antlers, like a child discovering something new. The deer, meanwhile, accepted this attention with remarkable serenity.

The other animals watched the scene with curiosity. Such a bond between a langur and a spotted deer was truly extraordinary. There was no sign of fear or rivalry—only a beautiful coexistence and mutual trust in the heart of the Indian jungle.

It was one of those rare moments that remind us that nature sometimes offers encounters that are as surprising as they are heartwarming, where friendship seems to transcend all differences. 🐒🦌🌿✨

🎦 Credit: Frédéric Geffroy.