Heather Parsons

Born in Aldershot Hampshire England. I have been happily married to my husband Ray now for 24 years. Constantly learning about Ancient Greek and Roman history.

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Zigi is challenging Keeper Evans to a game of hide-and-seek. This is classic baby elephant behaviour: curious, playful, and just a bit too-big-for-one’s-britches. As an adult, Zigi will be a master at moving stealthily and silently, but for now he’s about as subtle as a troop of baboons!

Zigi is a ‘grandchild’ of our Orphans’ Project: His mother, Zongoloni, was orphaned when she was just a baby herself and raised in our care. Now, she is all grown up and nurturing her own family in the wild. Zigi will celebrate his first birthday in a few short weeks!

Meet the 90+ known grandchildren born to our Orphans’ Project: https://t.co/gAYG28HymE

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Think of a graduation or an elephant translocation and Joseph probably helped make it possible. He's one of our drivers, taking the wheel when orphans move between graduation units, should wild elephants need relocating for their own safety, or when our troughs at Ithumba need filling with water. 

It affords him a view few others get of the wild: "Being alone on the banks of the Tiva River, in the middle of this beautiful wilderness while the bowser fills – it is a real privilege to just be part of the natural world."

[Save the Elephants @ste_kenya]

Celebrating the launch of Genius Loci by artist and STE supporter Sarah Graham, a book inspired by her time in Samburu in 2025. 🎨

Every book purchased helps elephants, with all sale proceeds being donated to STE. Purchase your copy here: https://t.co/X987qid9FM.

📸 @robbielab

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Lamuu is unrecognisable from the calf we rescued and milk only tells part of the story.

We rescued her on 4 January 2026 from the northern coast of Kenya. She was around 17 months old, alone, with a snare wound around her front left leg that had sliced through an artery. The snare had been working as a tourniquet – KWS Vet Dr Lawi performed emergency surgery in the field just to keep her alive.

Five months on, at our Kaluku Neonate Unit, the ring wound around her leg has healed thanks to daily wound care. She's put on weight thanks to three-hourly feeds and she's bonded closely with her Keepers, following her Keeper Lekoli everywhere – his shadow, our team calls her. Her best friend Subi is alongside her every day and she spends her day among our orphan-human herd.

Lamuu has years of care ahead before she is ready to return to the wild. Adopting Lamuu helps to fund the milk, her Keepers, and the support structure she needs for a wild future.

Adopt Lamuu: https://t.co/9y5leeaSKI

[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

[Global Sanctuary for Elephants @GlobalElephants]

🐘 Baby has caught Maia and Bambi's attention. The two spotted her from across the road between habitats, watching with curiosity as Baby splashed in her water trough. Read more: https://t.co/u3O3DR5u7X

[Global Sanctuary for Elephants @GlobalElephants]

Be a part of Baby's new life by symbolically adopting her and becoming her EleGuardian. Adopt her here: https://t.co/xcQ7EKUnn3

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Our proverbial door is always left open for the ex-orphans to come visit. After eight months away, Chemi Chemi just sauntered in!

We rescued Chemi Chemi in June 2009 from Loisaba Conservancy – a young bull, eight months old, in desperate need of food and company. Brought to Nairobi where we gave him one-to-one care from our Keepers and the comfort and company of a new herd, he recovered. When he outgrew the Nursery, he graduated to our Ithumba Reintegration Unit alongside his bull friends – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Nineteen years on from his rescue, Chemi Chemi is wild. Those friendships from his Nursery days and the bonds forged with his Keepers are still going strong – he still drops by our Ithumba Unit every few months.

Wondering how we know its him? Check out his raggedy, holey ears, all unique identifiers of our beloved bull.

[Save the Elephants @ste_kenya]

Meet Wittemyer. Named after our Scientific Board Chairman, Prof. @GeorgeWittemyer, this bull elephant is one of Samburu's most recognisable residents. He is the oldest of Cedar's six calves, born in 2008 into the Hardwoods family.

📸 @janewynyard

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

You have to look hard to find the scar.

When we rescued Lamuu in January, her front foot was fully encircled by a deep wound left by a snare. Five months on at our Kaluku Neonate Unit, the wound has healed. Even the Keepers who clean it daily say you have to look closely now to see where it was.

She remains shy though. The Keepers say the memories of those months alone and the trauma of her injury are still raw, and we are giving her the time she needs to process everything. After all, trust takes time to build. Her elephant friends are helping: her best friend Subi keeps her company and Korbessa, the older mini matriarch, has taken her under her wing.

Adopting Lamuu helps fund her milk, her psychological care, and her journey back to the wild:
https://t.co/9y5leeaSKI

[Global Sanctuary for Elephants @GlobalElephants]

A cool storm rolled through, but Baby didn't mind. While caregivers stayed dry where they could, Baby relaxed in the barn, rolling in a dirt pile and even smooshing her face into it. Read more: https://t.co/qTF5cTFbsc

[Global Sanctuary for Elephants @GlobalElephants]

Baby is making great progress. She's calmly entering the treatment chute and allowing gates to close around her, helping prepare for future exams, blood draws, and foot care.

Each day she's growing more comfortable and confident. Read more: https://t.co/9BlqQBdS2s

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

When an ex-orphan brings her new calf home, do our Keepers get to greet the baby?

Sometimes – and it's entirely up to the mother. Some, like Nasalot here, walk straight up to a familiar Keeper and let them meet the calf. Keeper Benjamin had been a part of Nasalot’s journey every step of the way since she was rescued as an infant in 2000. Today, Nasalot is all grown up and living wild but she and her family continue to visit their human-elephant family on a regular basis.

Other new mothers keep the calf at a careful distance and let the Keepers observe from the side. Whatever they decide, the fact that orphans make this pilgrimage home at all is the gesture of trust. Just seeing them, thriving as a mother and a matriarch, is the reward for years of care and many sleepless nights.

[Save the Elephants @ste_kenya]

Meet Daud, one of Samburu's impressive bulls, pictured with a young calf. We’re not sure if this little one belongs to him, but we know his genes have likely spread far and wide. This Father's Day, we're celebrating elephant (and human) dads like Daud everywhere!

📸 @robbielab

[Global Sanctuary for Elephants @GlobalElephants]

Baby is experiencing big changes and her new life is beginning to unfold in front of her. 💚

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Happy #FathersDay to all the dads and paternal figures celebrating. Including our own staff like Head Keeper Edwin. He has two families, his elephant orphan family and his human one. He says: “My kids ask me so many questions about my job, and they’re proud of what I do.”

[Heather Parsons @mondo19641]

@SheldrickTrust Magnificent

[Global Sanctuary for Elephants @GlobalElephants]

Baby is still tired from her journey, but she has ventured outside more. She hasn't gone far yet, and she still comes back to the barn for comfort. https://t.co/XdbRaUWrje

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Lima Lima's son has had quite a month at our Umani Springs Reintegration Unit – his mum spent half of it being chased by suitors and he started bonding with the older boys, Kapei and Maktao.

Which Lenny photo is your favourite?
1. Showing off his trunk.
2. Ears out, striking a pose.
3. Playing peekaboo behind Kerrio's ear.

And while you're here, if there is anything you'd like to know about him – fire it our way.

[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