David Sheldrick Sanctuary

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a small, flexible charity, established in 1977 to honor to memory of a famous Naturalist, David Leslie William Sheldrick, the founder Warden of Tsavo East National Park. The trust is a sanctuary for Elephants and the Black Rhinos and is located within the Nairobi National Park. It is concerned with many conservation projects among them being:

Black Rhino Conservation: The Trust was the pioneer of Kenya’s very effective conservation strategy to retrieve the highly endangered Black Rhino from extinction. It masterminded the concept of electrically fenced enclosures within the Protected Areas so that outlying survivors of the species could be concentrated for breeding purposes. The Trust was instrumental in the establishment of Kenya’s first enclosed Rhino Sanctuaries in Tsavo West and Lake Nakuru National Parks.

Rhino and Elephant Orphans: The Trust also pioneered the successful hand-rearing and complicated strategy of successful rehabilitation back into established wild rhino communities of orphaned Black Rhino and elephant calves. Its expertise has been responsible for saving many orphaned rhino calves in Kenya.

The Mobile Veterinary Project: Funding has been sourced for two fully operational Mobile Veterinary Units to work in conjunction with the De-Snaring teams headed by experienced Veterinarian seconded from the Kenya Wildlife Service. The Tsavo Conservation Unit area of operation covers both Tsavo National Parks, Amboseli National Park, and both the Shimba and Chyulu Hills National Parks as well as neighboring Ranches. The Central Rift mobile veterinary unit covers the Masai Mara National Reserve and the bordering conservation areas, Lake Naivasha, Elementita and Lake Nakuru National Park. These fully equipped Mobile Clinics continue on a daily basis to relieve suffering on a massive scale by providing assistance to sick and wounded animals.

Since its inception in 1977 the Trust has played an extremely significant and important role in Kenya's conservation effort. Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick along with Six Trustees, assisted by an Advisory Committee of practical Naturalists with a lifetime experience of African conditions, oversees and directs the operations of the Trust.

At the rhino sanctuary, visitors are allowed into the sanctuary for one hour between 11am and noon when the animals are being fed. One amazingly watches the elephants, very emotional and playful creatures, rolling around and playing in the mud. The animals are very attached to their minder and were not straying too far from them.
This is a good place to visit on any day.

Conservation Safaris