At the heart of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is the rearing and rehabilitation of the orphaned elephants and rhinos that come into the DSWT’s care. When any of these innocent orphans are rescued, due to poaching, human-wildlife conflict or natural tragedies, the DSWT is committing itself to providing care and attention for each individual elephant or rhino calf in order for them to develop into healthy mature adults and ultimately live natural lives in the wild amongst their wild peers in a safe environment.
All the milk required has to be imported, from the UK, the Netherlands and Israel. This forms the basis for the infant formula which was perfected by Dame Daphne Sheldrick many years ago, after many trials and tribulations, in order to successfully rear a new-born elephant through its first very fragile few months, and other formulas are adapted to suit the older milk dependent orphans - but safe to say the milk, its transport, importation, delivery and storage provides the corner stone to our Orphans' Project.