Kenya - Two faces of a Beautiful country

Having lived in and loved Kenya for three years in the late sixties I am always sad when negative news about this beutiful country hits the international media.  What with Somali based terrorists  shooting and kidnapping tourists on their Northern coastal areas, police brutality resulting in the murder of a young Brit in police custody, it is no wonder that tourism there is suffering.  That's once face...

However if I can highlight another and more caring face and that is the work of conservationists, in particular the Sheldrake Trust whose Nairobi orphnage for juvenile elephants and rhinos has done so much to counter the savage murder by poachers of their families to supply the illegal ivory trade.  The dedication and love that the keepers at the orphanage heap on their charges is in stark contrast to that of some of their compatriots. theThe following is an account of the saving of baby Barsalinga which illustrates the work being done by the "good guys" and organisations out in Kenya.   In particular by Dame Daphne Sheldrake who sent this to a friend who had previously adopted an orphan .....My friend wrote the following in her covering email to me which goes to show that Elephants do have long memories.............

"One of my three orphans - Shira - put in an appearance the other day at Voi.  She was rescued from a pit as a tiny baby a few years ago and, now a teenager, decided to join a wild herd but popped in to see her old pals when the wild herd she had joined was passing nearby."

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We have an adorable addition to the fold here at the Nursery whose story we would like to share with all our foster parents.  The story of how he lost his mother and came into our care unfolds below.

 Gunshots were heard during the evening of 13th April 2012 by the community of the Lpus-La-Mpasion area near Wamba in the Samburu tribal area of Northern Kenya.   The next morning (14th) a severely wounded female Elephant with a calf at foot was spotted in the area, bullet wounds in the chest area and front legs had rendered her barely able to even move.   Yet another victim of the ivory trade, and a grizzly reminder of the suffering attached to each piece of ivory that is sold and bought.  Her end was a painful one, full of suffering, and her calf would have been a victim too had he not been one of the lucky few rescued. 

 The matter was reported to a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) patrol within the area who summonsed the KWS  Vet, Dr. Mutinda,  who traveled to the scene to assess the injured mother.   It turned out that the female elephant s wounds were too severe for any hope of recovery, so having reported the matter to the Nairobi KWS Headquarters, it was decided that the mother be euthanized, and her calf saved and sent to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Nursery in Nairobi National Park.   The calf had its last feed of mother s milk at 9 a.m. before the cow was later laid to rest.

By 1.30 p.m. the DSWT Rescue Team landed at the nearby Kisima Airstrip, and waited the arrival of the KWS ground team and the young baby.  KWS had a good distance to travel to bring the rescued calf to the closest airstrip and arrived about 30 minutes later with the tiny calf loaded in the back of

a landcruiser pickup with the rangers holding him securely.  After our keepers checked on his condition he was loaded into the aircraft in order to be airlifted back to the Nursery, arriving in the afternoon.

The baby, which was in good condition, approximately a two week old tiny bull still pink behind the ears was given the name Barsilinga after the area close to where his mother met her grizzly end, just weeks after giving life to this precious baby - but Barsilinga has successfully transitioned

into a new loving family, full of elephant friends and his Keepers who he absolutely adores.  A film of his rescue can be viewed by clicking this link:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/hfWKqwaXiwo

We would welcome your financial support by donating directly online to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust through this link:

https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/is/donate_now.asp

To Foster Barsilinga please click on this link: 

https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/foster.asp?nn=1&G=&LP=4262012446-pic7a.jpg&addn=270&N=270&FN=BARSILINGA

 Most Sincerely,

Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E.

http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

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