Rhonda S

Lover of German shepherds.

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

One orphan always leaves us laughing. We are, of course, referring to Lemeki.

This is a classic manoeuvre of hers: She's been weaned off bottles, but she's always looking for opportunities to siphon off a sip or two. She also knows that the Keepers pour out a splash of leftover milk for the resident starlings. So, after the milk-dependent orphans have had their afternoon bottles, she saunters over, casual as can be – then makes a last-minute diversion to raid the birds' proverbial cupboard!

Just like humans, elephants have unique personalities. Lemeki is clever, canny, and absolutely hilarious. Her story began in raging floodwaters, plucked to safety before she drowned. Today, she is eight years old – and an absolute pride to everyone who has been part of her story.

You can become part of an orphan like Lemeki's story, as a gift for yourself or someone special. Adopt in a few simple steps: https://t.co/CooVpdJj7e

[Rhonda S @rhondalm13]

@SheldrickTrust All!! Each one is so precious and amazing. 💖🐘💖

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Which of these bulls would you most like to meet?

Ithumba has been busy with bulls this week. A wild bull in musth has been shouldering through, and among the visitors was a familiar face – ex-orphan Kenze, back at his old home and helping himself to a mouthful of lucerne. Kenze came into our care in 2006, a difficult, aggressive two-year-old orphaned by poaching in the Chyulu Hills; two decades on, he lives wild and still calls in.

Also in the mix, and hard to miss, was the great tusker we call Dad – his ivory sweeping almost to the ground. Dad is father to several of the wild-born calves in the Ithumba herd, the magnificent bull behind generations of our ex-orphans' babies. This week he had courtship on his mind!

[Faith No More @FaithNoMore]

We've pulled some classics out of the closet for you.
Get The Real Thing from the FNM website.
Link in Bio.

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

This week's patient in the Mara – and he didn’t make things easy. Even with a significant spear wound, he managed to weave through the thick bush, which made it challenging for Dr Aminga to dart him, and then fell on the ‘wrong’ side for treatment.

As our Mara Mobile Vet Unit, operated in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, reported:
“This big elephant bull was treated on the fringes of Ololasurai Mara Conservancy. He had an infected spear wound on his front left limb that was probably sustained from a human-elephant conflict episode. The injured limb was visibly swollen and he was walking with a heavy limp.

After successful darting, he went down on the wrong side, necessitating him being turned over using straps to access the injured limb. The wound was thoroughly cleaned and treated, and antibiotics and anti-inflammatories were administered.

The treatment was achieved with assistance from the Mara Elephant Project team, Ololasurai Conservancy rangers, and WWF Siana Ranger teams. Prognosis is good and close monitoring will continue.”

These operations unfold every day across Kenya. Learn more about our lifesaving conservation projects: https://t.co/XuaMb4fdNG

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Tomboi catching up with Benjamin, who’s been by his side from tiny orphan to big bull.

We rescued Tomboi nearly 23 years ago, when he was just days old. He remained in our care for the better part of a decade before reclaiming his place in the wild. By this point, the years he’s lived wild far outnumber the time he spent with us, but he has never forgotten the people who raised him or the place he calls home. He still drops by Ithumba periodically to visit Benjamin and the team.

In the Samburu dialect, Tomboi means ‘boy without a father.’ It was a fitting name for the tiny orphan we rescued all those years ago. No matter how big he grows or how much time passes, Tomboi will always have his SWT family standing behind him. Watch to the end to see a photo of baby Tomboi; he’s in the red blanket, next to the infamous Wendi!

Meet the orphans in our care and support their journeys back to the wild through an adoption: https://t.co/CooVpdJj7e

[General Mike Flynn @GenFlynn]

@EricLDaugh So many people’s lives were destroyed during the last ten years because of this woke, mindless disease. J6 was only one of the phases of the left’s operation to take over America. Russia Gate was the beginning. It now must end and people need to be put in prison for their sins.

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Hidden amid the dappled sunlight is the epitome of a gentle giant.

Orphaned bull Mwashoti has taken on a mentorship role to our orphan herd over the years. He might have been successfully reintegrated but the bonds with his former human-elephant family remain strong. Last month he even took two of the boys, Kapei and Maktao, for a wild night out - a rite of passage for growing elephants who are finding their feet. They joined a nocturnal safari with the Umani 'nightclubbers', then presented themselves back home for another day of bush school.

A snare survivor (though you wouldn't know to look at him), discover Mwashoti's story: https://t.co/GHmfgXyzFk

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

This was a special treatment. A little elephant was just a week into the world when her mother was struck by a spear. Her injuries can put the whole family in peril, but fortunately, we were there to answer the call.

As reported by our SWT/KWS Mara Mobile Vet Unit:

“This afternoon, Elephant Aware alerted us to an elephant cow with her little, week-old calf. The mother had a spear injury on her hind leg. We mobilised a treatment and darted her, while her calf remained by her side. Given her baby’s young age, she did not need to be sedated, but all present agreed to minimal contact with her.

The mother’s spear wound was deep but had not caused irreversible damage. We thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the site before administering antibiotics and green clay. With treatment complete, we reversed the patient. She got up with her calf by her side. Both walked off to rejoin their herd, who were waiting in the nearby bushes.

Dr Aminga has given her a good prognosis for a complete recovery.”

Learn more about our Mobile Vet Unit, operated in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service: https://t.co/3sLudqw5Hg (to date, they have attended to 4,007 elephant cases!)

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Imp wouldn't exist without people who believed every orphaned elephant, like her mother Ishanga, deserved a second chance – people who donated month after month to save a frightened calf, not yet knowing how her story would end, but trusting she would one day find her way back to the wild.

Those donations funded milk bottles, round-the-clock Keeper care, and the ranger patrols that protect her wild family today.

Monthly giving is what makes that possible. When we know we can count on your support, we can act immediately – before it's too late. For the next orphan found alone in Tsavo. For the next Ishanga.

Give monthly and be part of their story: https://t.co/NVpsbuFaAn

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Perhaps you prefer your coffee with no milk, or a tea with sugar? Even elephants have their preferences on how they take their beverages – and Serenget is no different.

Whereas other elephants prefer to have a milk bottle placed into their mouths, she prefers to have it poured drop by drop into her trunk. She's in good company – Namalok preferred to drink from a bucket, and he's successfully rejoined the wild.

No matter their idiosyncrasies, we'll do all we can to meet the orphans where they are. Learn more about Serenget, who has overcome a bullet wound and months of bed rest: https://t.co/CTcIIAUhkP

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

The hardest rescue mission our teams have been called to? This operation to haul a bull elephant out of a sinkhole is up there.

It unfolded last month when the Kenya Wildlife Service received reports of a trapped bull in Chakama. One of our pilots flew to the scene, where he met the Kulalu Anti-Poaching Team and KWS. It was a complicated situation: the bull was stuck shoulder-deep and, while he couldn't escape, he could move around inside, which made it challenging for teams to position the straps needed to free him.

After consulting Dr Limo of the SWT/KWS Tsavo Mobile Vet Unit – who was occupied with another operation – they opted to keep trying without anaesthetising the bull. Finally, the team managed to loop straps behind him and attach them to a vehicle. Inch by inch, they pulled him from his muddy trap.

Your support helped fund every aspect of this life-saving mission – find out how you can be part of our next one: https://t.co/oDUimvLHOg

[Elephant Aid International @ElephantAidIntl]

Tarra enjoys dining with her canines. Volume up! #Elephant #Elephants #Dog #Dogs

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

Many members of our team have been with us for decades. Take Justus, who joined us in 1996 and is celebrating his 30th year as a Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Keeper.

One of our most experienced rhino Keepers, he is currently shepherding Apollo, a seven-year-old black rhino, on his rewilding journey. But his greatest stories reach back further. He was the Keeper on the ground when we rescued Mwinzi – a drought victim we initially thought was ebbing away. Justus put his hand inside the calf's mouth to check his teeth, and was most surprised when the comatose little elephant chomped down on his finger.

(Seen here, a throwback from 2023: Tiny Mwinzi toddled over and threw a jealous temper tantrum when he saw Rokka enjoying time with Justus!)

Happy 30th, Justus. 🐘

[Rand Paul @RandPaul]

Yes he was.

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

If there were an award, Mwana would win it for best big 'sister'.

She's an excellent junior nanny to Sulwe, Lenny and Zigi and, just like her mother, orphan Murera, she has the same gentle, attentive nature. In one month alone, our Keepers clocked her serving as referee when a tug-of-war over a stick escalated, kindly leading the Nairobi trio, and allowing little Lenny – seen here with her – to clamber all over her. Not bad for a two-year-old who was the epitome of a spoiled princess before her 'siblings' came along.

She's our first grandchild of Umani Springs, and her birth was a moment that will remain etched in our minds: https://t.co/1bVRD22Y9v

[Sheldrick Wildlife Trust @SheldrickTrust]

A moment we'll never forget? Watching ex-orphan Emily return to the Voi stockades to give birth – in broad daylight, no less, a rarity – to her second wild-born calf. If ever a scene spoke to the trust the orphans place in us, this would be it.

Incredibly, it was captured on film by the Keepers who watched on as Emily's herd of ex-orphans gently helped get the precious bundle to her feet, nudging and using their trunks to lift the baby. Emma, as we named her, is among 92 wild-born calves that we know of.

Tell us: What's an SWT conservation story you've read that has stuck in your mind since?

[Alex Jones Network @AJNlive]

Alex Jones interviewed Chuck Norris many times over the years — always powerful, always unforgettable. This clip from October 1, 2008 is one of those moments.

Rest in peace, Chuck — a true legend.

[Mara Elephant Project @MaraElephant]

Welcome back to #FridayswithFred!

As a big tusker, Fred stands out, so our team keeps a close eye on him. But no matter how often we see him, every encounter feels like the first.

When Fred approaches the Mara Elephant Project research team vehicle, each long, powerful stride commands attention. A hush falls over the team. No whispers, no rustling—just the deep, steady sound of his massive footsteps echoing across the Mara.

It’s tempting to imagine that he’s stopping by to say hello, but in reality, Fred is probably focused on one thing: finding the next patch of lush, irresistible vegetation to enjoy on his journey.