The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Dame Daphne Sheldrick, founder of the DSWT, pioneered the milk formula and husbandry needed to successful hand-rear milk dependent oprhan baby elephants. These skills and Daphne's knowledge have continued to develop over the years and been shared with keepers at the charity's orphanage in Nairobi. To date, more than 120 elephant orphans have been successfully rehabilitated, all will eventually return to the wild where they belong. This film provides an insight into what it is to be an orphan elephant rescued by the DSWT

Join our very own Dame Daphne Sheldrick at the UK Premiere of Born to be Wild 3D and be one of the first people in the UK to see the film. We have a very limited number of tickets available for this special event, which takes place in London on 14th June, 3 days before the film's official UK release. Get all the details, and most importantly your tickets, here:

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has identified important habitats to help protect and preserve, and has recently embarked on a partnership with the Kenya Forest Service having secured a concession of the Kibwezi Ground Water Forest. The purpose of this Project is to conserve a representative example of Kenyan dry forest and all that lives within it so that it can continue to provide benefits, through resource utilization and tourism, to the surrounding communities and the Kenyan Forest Service in both the short and long term.

This initiative includes conservation and protection programs, dealing with resource management, monitoring and research and protection activities and preventing the illegal use of forest resources, ensuring measured control together with forest rehabilitation. Community programs are an important component for forest management and we aim to improve the quality of life in the surrounding communities through, electric fencing to alleviate human wildlife conflict, sustainable use of the forest resources, education and the encouragement of activities that reduce the demand for access to the forest.

This precious patch gazetted in 1936 is 58.6Km2 in extent and contains the beautiful Umani Springs, similar to Tsavo West's Mzima Springs. Set conveniently close to the main Nairobi - Mombasa road this Forest reserve is part of a network of protected areas in this region of Kenya, know as the Tsavo Conservation Area, and abuts the Chyulu Hills National Park. This represents the largest contiguous protected area in Kenya and is also one of its most important conservation areas. The Umani Springs are an increasingly important water source for the human population in the surrounding areas as well as the wildlife, as it is also the only surface water in the dry seasons in this region. The forest and springs is home to varied large mammals, birds, reptiles, butterflies, invertebrates, and fish.

The Trust has recently completed a very attractive self help lodge where people can stay and experience this unique ecosystem. The funds generated through tourism helps offset the costs associated with the Kibwezi Forest conservation and protection programs, and we would like to encourage all those familiar with our work to consider supporting this new and exciting initiative. An information montage is attached.