Up Close
to Rescued Giraffes and Elephants
After 5 months of living less than an hour away from the suburb of
Karen (named after author Karen Blixen of Out of Africa fame),
we finally visited the Langata Giraffe Sanctuary and Sheldrick Elephant
Orphanage.
There's no such thing as a giraffe or baby elephant that isn't adorable!
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course we've seen lots of giraffes before, but the Langata Giraffe
Sanctuary is the only place we got to feed them and look at them
eyeball to eyeball-- from the 2nd story of the sanctuary's visitor center. (Above Far L) Who couldn't love that face? (Above Center L) Becoming friendly only takes food! (Above Center R) Giraffes really do have blue tongues which feel like sloppy wet sandpaper. (Above Far R) We really are good buddies! |
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Though the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is only open one hour per
day, the time is packed with the youngsters absolutely adorable
antics. They are so cute in fact, that I was "compelled" to invest in adopting 2 of the littlest ones on Adrian and Diana's behalf. (Above Far L & Center L) Diana's foster elephant, Lempaute, is the youngest female and a total flirt with her handler and the audience. (Above Center R) Adrian's foster elephant, Shimba, is the youngest male who loves clowning around--boys will be boys. (Above Far R) Baby elephants are naturally playful so no wonder they are great in circuses! Why are they wearing blankets, you ask? Apparently baby elephants are highly susceptible to pneumonia which unfortunately goes undetected until it is too late to medicate. It's not just a case of parents saying, "I'm cold so you wear a blanket." |
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(Above Far L & Center L) The "older generation" of orphans is still
under 25 months but play much more roughly. Once they are over
two years old, the Orphanage begins to introduce them to wild elephant families in Tsavo National Park. This transition can take 5 to 10 years of the orphans' being with new families during the day then sleeping and eating at the special Sheldrick Sanctuary in Tsavo at night so they don't have to forage or face predators for a while. But they are still babies who like their bottles and get worn out after a tough romp (Above Far L & Center L). |
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