“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” As our year draws to a close, I reflect upon these words by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Conservation is not for the impatient. It requires continuity and commitment, dogged perseverance, and field expertise that can only be gleaned through lived-and-breathed experiences. This is especially true when it comes to elephant conservation. After all, they are a species whose development and lifespan mirrors our own, whose children and grandchildren will be walking the earth in tandem with our own descendents.

Our dedicated, long-term approach to Kenya’s wildlife and wild spaces, building brick by proverbial brick upon foundations that were laid half a century ago, defines the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust today. Kenya is a land of contrasts — there are good years and bad, times of bounty and want. We must always be prepared to pivot and adapt in order to answer the needs of the moment, while also forging ahead with a long-term conservation framework that will see us into the future.

2024 was a year where our patience was rewarded. After weathering a difficult period of drought, nature was generous here in Kenya. Rain fell, green proliferated, life abounded, illegal activities and field emergencies declined, and we were able to appreciate the fruits of our labours in all their abundance. The ecosystems under our protection and management are flourishing, while our field projects continue to expand.

The orphans in our care are thriving, existing in their blissful bubble of milk bottles, mud baths, and daily adventures. Meanwhile, our extended family tree is expanding at pace. In the past seven years alone, the number of calves born to orphans we rescued, raised, and rewilded has doubled. Already, at least 68 wild-born babies exist, all because of an orphan saved many years ago — and in truth, our baby boom is just beginning.

These wild births are the best testament to the success of our Orphans’ Project. We are merely the custodians of every orphan we rescue, nurturing them so they can ultimately reclaim their place in the wild and raise their own offspring. For an elephant — a species whose very being is rooted around their herd — nothing is more sacred than family. Our ex-orphan mums poignantly prove that point, making the pilgrimage ‘home’ after giving birth to introduce their babies to the Keepers who raised them.

That is true for us, too. Our very logo is based around the concept of family — a baby elephant walking trunk-to-tail with his mother. While we rescue the orphans left behind by fate and foul play, our ultimate goal is to keep wild families together. This year, we were able to deliver on that mission, several times over.

While 2024 provided a welcome respite from the near-daily crises of a drought year, it was still hectic in its own right. As Tsavo’s dry season reached its peak, we faced a marathon of emergencies to save elephants — particularly mums and their babies — trapped in wells or stuck in the mud. This is a tragically common occurrence, as isolated rainfall draws elephants outside protected areas, forcing them to take greater risks in their quest for water.

Elephant extractions are no small feat. Moving a full-grown, wild elephant — not to mention the frantic, terribly vulnerable baby by their side — is a herculean undertaking. These operations always unfold far off the beaten path, miles and miles from any paved road or cell reception, and we must make do with the assets we have on-hand.

But fortunately for us, the greatest asset is our team. In every single rescue operation, our teams moved heaven and earth, thinking outside the box and working day and night to bring these elephants to safety. Because we have the capacity and skills to pull off these extraordinary missions, this year alone, countless elephant families have been kept together and given the second chance they deserve.

Further underscoring the importance of family, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a multigenerational undertaking: Many members of our team have been with us for decades, and now their own children are joining our mission. My sons, Taru and Roan, are enormous assets in the field, having grown up immersed in conservation work. I know David and Daphne would be so proud of how their legacy has taken flight.

You are very much part of our team. After all, it is through your support that these sorts of operational successes are even possible. Every piece of equipment that rescues elephants from certain death, every aircraft that allows us to reach the most remote corners of Kenya in rapid fashion, every boot on the ground and eye in the sky — those are your donation dollars at work.

As we turn the page on 2024, I would like to thank you most sincerely for your unwavering support and dedication to our cause, now and into the future. Together, we are making a real and lasting difference for Kenya’s wildlife and wild spaces.

Wishing you and yours a joyful holiday season,

Angela Sheldrick,
CEO, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust