The African savanna elephant, the largest terrestrial animal on the planet, is critically threatened: a victim of relentless poaching, slaughter, and civil wars. While East and Central Africa have nearly lost this iconic animal, Southern Africa struggles with managing their growing elephant populations, leading to increasing conflicts with human communities.

Since 2020, the species has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

In Kenya, I discovered the exceptional orphan elephant rescue program run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Raising these large babies is challenging and requires unparalleled dedication. The success of this program is due to the commitment of their caretakers, who act as surrogate families full-time until the young elephants are old enough to fend for themselves and rejoin the wild in protected reserves.