Elephant conservationist Sheldrick dies

This undated photo taken in Kenya and handed out on April 14, by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT)

shows elephant conservationist Dame Daphne Sheldrick. (AFP)

Dame Daphne Sheldrick, a conservationist famous for her work rearing baby elephants in Kenya and fighting for the protection of the species, has died aged 83, her family said Friday.

“Daphne passed away the evening of the 12th April after a long battle with breast cancer, a battle she finally lost,” her daughter Angela wrote in a statement.

“Her legacy is immeasurable and her passing will reverberate far and wide because the difference she has made for conservation in Kenya is unparalleled.”

Sheldrick was born in Kenya in 1934, and spent nearly 30 years working with her husband David who founded Kenya’s biggest National Park, Tsavo East.

After his death, she founded The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT), famous both for its contribution to conservation and to tourists who flock to the Nairobi centre daily to witness orphaned baby elephants being bottle-fed and frolicking in the mud.

“Daphne was the first person to successfully hand raise a milk dependent new born elephant and rhino, knowledge that has seen more than 230 orphaned elephants saved in Kenya, and countless other infant elephants in countries across Africa and into India,” read a statement on the trust’s website.(AFP)