With the price of ivory increasing, more elephants are being slaughtered. In May of 2014, poaching claimed six Tsavo elephants.
When tragedy strikes, the orphaned babies of slaughtered elephants are left in need of special care at an elephant orphanage in Kenya, complete with dormitories and private sleeping quarters. That's where the amazing Daphne Sheldrick comes in.
In 2009, 60 Minutes showed a segment on Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick. At 80 years old, Daphne has dedicated her entire life to raising and successfully rehabilitating elephants and other animals. Once they're old enough and ready, they're transferred to protected areas and integrated with other orphan groups.
In the video below, watch in awe as Daphne interacts with her beloved elephants. The love these magnificent creatures give right back to her is simply overwhelming. Daphne says they are caring, compassionate, and even forgiving — and that the poaching of these and other animals is a travesty and should be stopped. Just think of Thandi, a white rhino baby who was attacked by poachers but eventually rescued and was able to have her very own baby.
Daphne is a renowned authority on the rearing of wild animals, and is also the first person to have perfected the milk formula and necessary husbandry for infant, milk-dependent elephants and rhinos. She helped create the Tsavo National Park alongside her husband David Sheldrick, and has spent her life fostering elephant orphans in her Kenya home.
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