Every day is an occasion to celebrate the creatures with whom we share our planet. But on 3rd March, the world comes together to honour wildlife and galvanise around their protection.
The theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day is Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet.
It is a fitting theme — especially for conservation work like ours. Saving the world’s largest land animal and the habitats they call home is no small task. Every orphaned elephant that we rescue requires the same intensive, yet highly sensitive, level of nurturing in which you would raise a child. This round-the-clock, specialist care continues until they are ready to reclaim their place in the wild — a process that may take upwards of a decade.
But the commitment doesn’t end there. The lifetime of an elephant mirrors our own. With health and luck on their side, they can live well over half a century. As we raise the orphans of today, we must also protect the habitats they call home. Elephants need space — and lots of it. Securing vast tracts of land is paramount to their future on our planet.
That requires support near and far. Donors like you make our work possible. By adopting, donating, and spreading the word, you empower our comprehensive field conservation projects:
- Orphans’ Project: Rescuing Kenya’s orphaned elephants, rhinos, and other wildlife, nurturing them with specialist, round-the-clock care until they are ready to be reintegrated into a protected wilderness
- Anti-Poaching Units & Canine Unit: In partnership with the KWS, patrolling key ecosystems across Kenya to prevent illegal activities, apprehend poachers and other perpetrators, and protect all manner of creatures
- Mobile Veterinary Units: Providing rapid treatment to wildlife in need across Kenya, responding to field veterinary emergencies and saving thousands of wild lives each year in partnership with the KWS
- Aerial Unit: Monitoring for illegal activity from the skies and offering rapid response assistance to field emergencies, anti-poaching operations, human-wildlife conflict, and veterinary treatments
- Saving Habitats: Safeguarding vulnerable habitats across Kenya through conservation management, reforestation efforts, and partnerships with local and government stakeholders
- Wildlife Support: Helping wildlife navigate our rapidly changing world through human-wildlife conflict mitigation, water-relief programs, and fencelines that serve as ‘wild borders’
- Community Support: Improving the livelihoods and education standards of rural Kenyans through support with conservation challenges, community initiatives, and local employment opportunities
The latter point is important to this year's World Wildlife Day theme. Elephants can be challenging neighbours. Supporting our local communities, so they can better coexist with the wildlife who live alongside them, is essential. We are proud of the inroads we have made in recent years. This support is both proactive and reactive — implementing measures to prevent human-wildlife conflict, and providing a rapid response when elephants and other wildlife do venture onto community land. Together, we are creating a more sustainable future for all Kenya’s wildlife.
And an important note: While we are best known for our elephant conservation work, we are committed to the welfare of all wildlife. Kenya is a place of spectacular biodiversity, home to over 25,000 animal species. From the humble dung beetle to the majestic lion, each one has a special value and a unique role to play in their ecosystem. With your support, we can protect and preserve all of these wild, wonderful creatures.
Ways to support our work this World Wildlife Day:
Adopt an orphan: A beautiful gift for yourself or someone special, our eco-friendly adoption program is entirely digital and can be delivered via email on the date of your choosing. Adopters receive:
- Personalised adoption certificate
- A year’s worth of Orphans’ Project
- Wildlife watercolours by Angela Sheldrick
- Exclusive access to the latest Keepers’ Diaries
- Downloadable photos of your adopted orphan
- Advance access to updates and exclusive content
Make a one-time or recurring donation: As a non-profit, all our conservation work is made possible through the generosity of donors. Every contribution truly makes an enormous difference.
Shop to support: Shop with purpose and support wildlife with every purchase! Our online shops offer Sheldrick Wildlife Trust-branded merch, elephant-themed apparel and accessories, made-in-Kenya gifts, and so much more. Proceeds from each sale support our conservation projects.
Choose Kenya as your next vacation destination: Experience the magic of Kenya through our Eco Lodges. Spread across the Tsavo ecosystem, these remarkable properties offer you a private home in the heart of Kenya’s greatest wildernesses and come with exclusive access to visit our orphaned elephants and Keepers. Operated through a not-for-profit model, your stay at an SWT Eco Lodge supports vital conservation initiatives in the landscape. This year, our lodges were honoured to feature on The New York Times “50 Places to Go” list, standing out as the only destination chosen in Africa!
Spread the word: Wherever you are in the world, you can be a voice for the voiceless by standing up for wildlife, sharing our conservation work, and staying engaged with the challenging facing elephants and other creatures. You can follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads) at @sheldricktrust.