Meet the 'elephant grandmother': Heartwarming photos reveal the bond between British woman and her orphaned animals



The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has released a set of unseen images to mark Dame Daphne's 80th birthday



Helped create Tsavo National Park with husband David Sheldrick and has spent her life fostering animal orphans

Among them have been scores of elephants, many of whom Daphne moved into her home in Kenya

The veteran conservationist has called for work on poaching which last month, claimed six Tsavo elephants


She's mothered orphaned elephants, helped create Kenya's mighty Tsavo National Park and has spent years railing against poaching: Life, for Dame Daphne Sheldrick, has certainly been interesting.

Now the veteran conservationist, who turns 80 tomorrow, has opened up for the first time on the moments that have made her life among the elephants so magical, although not all concern pachyderms.

'A much treasured bond was with a Thompson gazelle who we named Geri,' reveals Dame Daphne, who still lives near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, in an exclusive interview with MailOnline.

Scroll down for video



Tea for two: Baby elephant Aisha snuggles up to Daphne as she attempts to pour herself a cup of tea

Adorable: Daphne relaxes outside her home with an orphaned rhino calf (left) and a baby buffalo (right)

'She was rescued from the Kitengela plains, just outside of Nairobi, when her mother was killed for bush meat.' Geri, who spent her early months being hand-raised in Daphne's daughter Angela's home, eventually became a loving pet.

But tragedy almost struck when the little gazelle was grabbed by a lioness while sitting on a daybed on Angela's veranda. 'Angela who immediately took off down the hill after the lioness, who had Geri in her mouth,' remembers Daphne.

'She was screaming like a banshee, which proved too much for the pride so they abandoned their kill but not before Geri was quite literally shredded.

'It never occurred to me that Geri would ever be able to recover from this encounter but she was rushed to the vet and was stitched up, with my 15-year-old grandson Taru, the person she loved the most, with her.

'Over the following weeks and months though, with tender loving care from everyone, Geri came back to life, and eventually made a full recovery. It was her unwavering love and loyalty to the family that was so humbling.'

But little Geri isn't the only animal Daphne and Angela have taken into their homes and hearts over the years. From gazelles to elephants and even rhinos, all have been welcomed into Daphne's life, with many later finding permanent homes in the 9,000sqkm Tsavo National Park, which was founded in the 1960s with the help of Daphne and her husband David.

Friends like these: Daphne walks fearlessly up to a group of African elephants (warning: don't try this at home) and one solitary zebra

Children together: One of Daphne's orphaned elephant calves decides to play with her human children, daughters Jill and Angela

Cuddle: Orphaned baby elephant Aisha cuddles up to Daphne while a fellow orphan, this one an ostrich chick, stretches out in the sunshine Firm friends: Daphne and baby Aisha relax on a sand dune in Tsavo National Park, the Kenyan wildlife reserve that Daphne and her husband David helped found

The existence of the park remains one of Daphne's proudest achievements. 'I had rewarding life with David, my late husband,' she remembers.

'Building Tsavo National Park together from virgin bush over so many years was extremely special.

'But seeing my children and grandchildren's love for the natural world and their commitment to the David Sheldrake Wildlife Trust and the work we do is the most rewarding - knowing that the legacy of all we have worked towards will continue long after I am gone.'

Sadly for Daphne and her family, their work is becoming more intense than ever before, largely as a result of increased poaching driven by the demand for rhino horn and ivory from China and the Far East.

'Bite your finger nails - it’s the same stuff,' fumes Daphne. 'The ridiculous hype around rhino horn is fuelled by false propaganda by those who want to make money from the sale of rhino horn, as well as false statements as to its healing powers or effects.'

Elephants too are dying, with six, including four calves, killed last month on Daphne's doorstep, in Tsavo East National Park.

The worsening situation has put the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's orphan project under increasing strain, with even Daphne admitting to wondering where it will all end.

Firm friends: Daphne with elephant orphan Eleanor in 1968 (left) and right, completely dwarfed by the enormous animal 20 years later in 1989



Not your average family: An orphaned rhino calf and a baby buffalo play with Daphne's children in the family garden as she looks on

Close: Daphne with another Thompson's gazelle, this one named Bunty, in her garden in the 1970s

'If I could choose a species to raise, it probably wouldn't be elephants,' she confesses. 'Getting so attached to these extraordinary animals and then having to deal with all the trauma and heartbreak over the years has been very difficult to bear.

'Seeing poaching in action, as we do, and seeing the suffering elephants experience is extremely painful.

'More often than not, you feel as if your best efforts just aren't enough. It's frankly illogical to me that we should choose to kill a species so intelligent and so beautiful just to create trinkets.'

But despite her heartbreak, Daphne says she couldn't imagine living any other way and adds that she hopes people will pull together to help defeat the poaching menace.

'I truly love all animals,' she adds. 'People often assume elephants are my favourite but there are lots other species that I adore. Apart from the big cats, I have raised just about every sort of animal imaginable over the years and every one has been remarkable.'

Not quite as remarkable, you might think, as Daphne herself.

To get involved with Daphne's work and to help support the orphaned elephants in her care, see sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

Honoured: Daphne collecting an MBE at Buckingham Palace in 1989 for services to conservation (left) and today aged 80 with her latest family of elephant orphans



All friends: Daphne cuddles Thompson's Gazelle Bunty outside her home, while another orphan, a waterbuck, relaxes in a shady spot