Today marks the 80th birthday of Dame Daphne Sheldrick, the remarkable conservationist behind The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. We wrote briefly of the DSWT's Orphan's Project and the infant elephant Jasiri that our Travel Office fosters earlier this year. The goal behind the Orphan’s Project is to offer rehabilitation and reintegration of orphaned elephants and rhinos into the wild.
Working with elephants was seemingly in Daphne's destiny, as she revealed in an intimate conversation with her daughter, Angela: “The elephants found me.”
We had the opportunity to ask Daphne a few questions over email earlier this week, and she provided some insight into her legendary work and a brief word about her 80th birthday wish.
You grew up in Kenya and also spent more than 25 years in the field working alongside your husband. How has this shaped the person you have become and the conservation path you have taken?
When one is privileged enough to be in the position to make a valuable difference as myself and David have been fortunate enough in life, it fuels one to do one's best to make a difference.
But it was David who opened my eyes to nature and made the rugged aspect of Tsavo, where we lived, come alive.
Growing up in rural Kenya where there were always animals around, my mother instilled a great love for nature in me and I have always loved wild animals. But it was David who opened my eyes to nature and made the rugged aspect of Tsavo, where we lived, come alive.
Our walks would become nature studies, and it was through him that I first got to understand elephants, by observing the two orphaned elephants he was hand-rearing, Fatuma and Samson. Watching these little tame elephants, I built a good understanding of their emotions and behavior.
You have written about the elephants' capacity for a wide range of emotions similar to our own. How has your time spent with the elephants changed your perception of human compassion and our understanding of wild animals? What have the elephants taught you?
Elephants are ‘human’ in terms of emotion and in many other ways as well, encompassed by an invisible and mystical aura that reaches deep into the human soul in a mysterious way that defies human logic. Having known them intimately through infancy and childhood into their teenage years and even well beyond, we know they share the same emotions as ourselves with a strong sense of family and the same sense of death. Each has an individual personality just like us; they can be mischievous, playful, hold a grudge or feel slighted.
Each has an individual personality just like us; they can be mischievous, playful, hold a grudge or feel slighted.
In many ways, they are better than us and they have attributes that we humans lack, such as the ability to communicate over distance using low-range sound hidden to human ears.
Elephants have taught me a lot about the human species, in that elephants are much more caring than us humans. They are more welcoming of strangers and they have a sense of compassion beyond their own kind and can extend to other species in distress. Elephants suffer tragedy and heartbreak on an almost daily basis, but find the courage to turn the page. In times of need, there is much we could learn from the elephants.
What has been the most challenging part of your chosen career? And the most rewarding?
There have been so many painful and emotional moments over the years that at times I have wished I had chosen an easier path. Animals weave their way into your heart so completely that each death is painful bereavement, like the loss of a child.
One of the most challenging parts of my career was the rescue of little elephant orphan Aisha, who came to us as one of the smallest elephants I had ever seen, with soft fuzz and hind ears as soft and pink as petals. When she arrived, my heart plummeted, as we had never been able to save an elephant this young, but amazingly, we discovered a milk formula that worked. Aisha became my shadow, right by my side every day, and we often had to put an apron over her head so I could run away and steal a few minutes by myself. It was this closeness that was her undoing, aged 6 months I had to leave for a number of days to attend my daughter’s wedding. Whilst I was gone, Aisha fell into a deep grief and passed away in my arms when I came back.
This was a heartbreaking time for all; Aisha was the most special elephant. However, following her death, we were able to unearth the most important aspects for the survival of orphaned elephants, and that was to ensure that the young calves did not grow too close to any one person. Today, we have two keepers to every young orphan who will rotate regularly to avoid such attachments.
Even though she was not able to save young Aisha, Daphne’s persistence and hard work throughout the years meant that a reliable milk formula was eventually found, pivotal in the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants around the world.
To date, the trust has successfully hand-raised more than 150 infant elephants and effectively reintegrated orphans into the wild as part of its long-term conservation efforts.
Daphne's stance on what needs to be done to save the dwindling elephant and rhino populations is clear: “[Outlaw] domestic and international markets for ivory and rhino horn.” Seems simple enough, but regrettably, not everyone agrees, and there is still a large global market for bush meat and elephant tusks. Education for other cultures and countries is necessary to reduce the allure of elephant tusks and rhino horn. Despite difficult circumstances, the trust still has been able to make a difference; one of the things that remains among Daphne’s proudest accomplishments.
Asked how she would like her birthday to be honored by friends and supporters around the world, Daphne wished for “support for the Trust’s many projects and to know that our hard but valuable work can be continued and grown for future generations.”
Daphne, thank you for sharing this brief insight into your life with us. "Happy Birthday" from everyone at Andrew Harper, and all the best in your future endeavors.
There are many opportunities to support the DSWT and the Orphan’s Project. If you are visiting Kenya, daily orphanage visits are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the public, but foster parents have the opportunity for exclusive viewing by only 30 people at bedtime (think sleepy baby elephants tucking in with their security blankets).
Sign Dame Daphne Sheldrick's 80th birthday card here.
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