The moment an elephant's tusks come through is worth showing off about. Muridjo's came through in 2023 and she's since risen through the ranks to become our Nursery mini-matriarch. Curious how she ended up in our care? www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/muri...

Kaikai turned one last month and while browse makes up some of her diet, it will be many years before she is fully weaned off of her 24 litres of milk per day. A gift from our milk wishlist can help covers a full day's milk for orphans like her: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/shop/wishlist

The face of a tired bull. After a long night roaming Tsavo East, ex-orphan Ndotto arrived at Voi looking sleepy. The herd headed out to browse and Ndotto stayed back, resting his head on a rock and closing his eyes. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/ndotto

Toto is Ithumba's new team leader. Most evenings now, it's Toto out in front, walking the herd back to the stockades. In April, he graduated from Kaluku to Ithumba alongside Mwinzi and Natibu, taking the next step back to the wild. Read their story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates...

Amboseli's elephants have been studied for decades – so when researchers watched a seven-month-old bull's mother vanish in 2012, they knew exactly who he was. Today Faraja is 14, roaming the Chyulu Hills. Read Faraja's rescue story: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/faraja

Ex-orphan Murera is in the final half of her second pregnancy. Just like when she was expecting Mwana, there is a direct correlation between her expanding belly and her moodiness. Some days pleasant, other days everyone but Mwana is the enemy. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/keepers-diar...

Rescued from Tsavo East last November, Wangalla spent her first months glued to Keeper Misheck – five months of him sleeping beside her, feeding her through the night. Supported by Sammy and mini-matriarch Korbessa, she's grown steadily in confidence. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/wang...

Eight months after she left with a wild boyfriend, Twiggy came back to say hello. She made straight for the stables, where she stooped her head to each of her former Keepers in turn. Then she was down at the mud bath with the orphaned elephants. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates...

Mwinzi and Natibu may be two of Ithumba's newest residents, but they're already old hat at the routines. After their own bottles they don't rush away. Bondeni is the herd's 'slow drinker' and both boys loiter behind the Keeper feeding him. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/news/updates...

Goodnight, Zuri. Our newest orphan elephant at our Nairobi Nursery, fast asleep at the end of a long day, trunk tucked into her mouth. What burning question would you like to ask us, or a member of our field teams? Put it in the comments below and we'll answer as many as we can.

Daba arrived shy and frightened. How times have changed. One morning he slipped off to ambush the milk wheelbarrow before it left the stockades, then doubled back to the mud bath when that failed, trumpeting when he found nobody there. Adopt Daba: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/daba

It has been a year of romance at Umani Springs. Last week, Kiasa was at the heart of it – several big bulls swept through, each courting her. We'll wait 22 months to see if another Umani grandcalf comes from this. For more orphans' news: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/keepers-diar...

Muridjo is only four, and didn't know her own mother, but she's grown into an excellent mini-matriarch. In June she kept tiny Zuri back from the mud wallow, and when Pardamat knocked the little one over, his time-out lasted hours. Adopt Muridjo: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/muri...

Korbessa is rarely seen without her mini-me, Wangalla. She's adopted the younger elephant as a little sister – but sisterly love only goes so far. One thing Korbessa refuses to share is the hose. That personal water fountain is hers alone. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/wang...

The loudest orphans get heard first, but some of the quieter ones are just as fascinating. Alia, rescued late last year, plays and mud-bathes with the herd some days; on others she keeps to the fringes. Support our shyest elephant through an adoption: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/alia

For Sulwe and Zigi, sleeping is very much a one-way street. When they settled down for a midday nap, Amali stood over them. A few minutes later, when she tried to rest, they clambered all over her, using her as their personal jungle gym. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/calves

An elephant is always on the lookout for a good scratch. Who's picked the best spot? 1. Sholumai, working her stomach against a raised bank of soil. 2. Kilulu, reversing up to a low outcrop. 3. Kenderi, sizing up a tree for a session against the bark.

Milk Monday, and Kenderi isn't waiting around. Watch him hurry as soon as the bottles appear – he wants his milk, and he wants it now. One of our older orphans, well on his way through weaning – milk feeds carry him through this in-between stage. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/shop/wishlist

Mundusi is one of our ex-orphans, now living wild in Tsavo. Rescued in 2017, a lonely fourteen-month-old found miles from any other elephant on Rombo Group Ranch. These days he moves with ex-orphan Nasalot's family, close to her son Nusu. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/mund...

Wangalla enjoys weekly coconut pampering sessions. When Keeper Misheck pauses to roll up his sleeve, she comes trundling over. Coconut oil is full of healthy fats and conditions the skin. Korbessa, who has outgrown Coconut Friday, still turns up. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/wang...

Zongoloni has always been a leader. First out with the 'nightclubbers' on their earliest nights away, the others following behind. Rescued in 2013 after poachers shot her mother. Fourteen now, and still brings her family home: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/zong...

Nursery Head Keeper Edwin calls Nyambeni a "nanny by force" – she's so eager to look after the babies that she often resorts to pushing the other nannies away. On this day, it was little Daba who did the barging! Jealous of Zuri getting attention, he couldn't resist a well-placed shove.

Peter and Brutus are on a very special mission. They're giving new rescue Richard (an orphaned eland) his afternoon bottle – and helping him settle in the process! In Peter's words, 'that way, they'll already have friends when they're ready to join everyone out in the bush.'

Naleku has always known exactly what she wants — and it has almost always involved a baby elephant to look after. From her earliest days at the Nairobi Nursery, she positioned herself as nanny to every new arrival.

One orphan always leaves us laughing. Lemeki has been weaned off bottles, but she's always looking for opportunities to siphon off a sip or two. She knows the Keepers pour out a splash of leftover milk for the resident starlings. So she saunters over, casual as can be – then makes a diversion.

Bedtime for Bumpy! Before Festus has even finished tucking him in, our little hippo is already fast asleep. Being a baby hippo is tiring work, and he's more than ready for a restful night with his favourite Keeper by his side. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bumpy

Our Nursery Herd head back to their bedrooms shortly after 5pm, where bottles of milk await them. With a full tummy, the youngest elephants often waste little time clambering onto a mattress to fall asleep. With a Keeper close by to tuck them in with a blanket! #SweetDreams

How big is a baby hippo? This time, our solid little fellow, Bumpy, logged a sturdy 46 kilograms / 101 pounds – he's gaining about three kilograms a week. Read his full rescue story and support him through an adoption: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bumpy

A new day begins and Bumpy is ready for action (in Bumpy's world, 'action' is relative and mornings cannot be rushed)! Our little chap emerges from his bedroom, sheds his pyjama blanket, and takes a sun-dappled stroll to his personal pool. www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/bumpy

In elephant society, it's the mothers who raise the babies and everyone pitches in. But when young adolescent bulls leave their natal herd, it is patriarchal older bulls who help keep their behaviour in check. Rapsu – a 23 year-old ex-orphan – is one such male the younger bulls hero-worship.