What is your favorite wild animal?  Mine is the elephant.  Partly because I have one!  I am the foster parent of an orphaned baby elephant named Kithaka.  You can have one too by going to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust website  and looking at their foster program.  You’re probably thinking, “Ok, I love elephants, but what is this David Sheldrick- What?”  Ok, I’ll explain.

Daphne Sheldrick started an African wildlife trust in Kenya with her husband David Sheldrick in the 1950’s but the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was officially founded in honor of David Sheldrick many years after he passed on to God’s world.  This organization not only rescues animals, specifically elephants and rhinos, but also stops poaching by taking any found ivory and storing it and by capturing any poachers they can.  Although I haven’t had any contact with the organization in person, I have read Ms. Daphne Sheldrick’s autobiography and history of the reserve, Love, Life, and Elephants An African Love Story, which is a great book.  I would recommend it but only to the older readers for it has many of Ms. Sheldrick’s personal experiences that may be very disturbing or saddening to animal lovers and all readers.

Because I don’t want any of you to feel upset that maybe you can’t foster an orphan I’m going to share mine.  Every time I get an update from the Trust, I or Bennett, your Off Campus assistant editor, will post a link to it in the Off Campus News section in the same spot you will find this article.  Here is a link to a page with all of the links to past updates I’ve gotten.  So if you want to experience the true majesty of having a wild elephant, join me as I get to walk through this elephant’s life with him.