Touching Photos Show Deep Bond Between Orphaned Elephants And Their Caretakers

The beautiful photos , taken from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, reveal the love among the group as the elephants and their wonderful caretakers when are exploring environment.


The caretakers do their best to imitate the elephants’ family structure which they ʟᴏst when they were left ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴᴇᴅ. This is essential for the elephants’ future sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ and ability to reintegrate into ᴡɪʟᴅ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀtɪᴏɴs when they are ready. Rob Brandford, Executive Director of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust said:” It will be many years before these ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴs will be independent of their Keepers, after all, they are still babies, needing their milk, guidance, teaching, and mentorship. Before they are ready to ‘fly the nest’ which usually occurs when ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴs are around the age of ten . In the meantime, they are positioned in a beautiful place where their days can be filled with important interactions with wild herds.”

In the photo below, you can see two ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴs appreciating a sweet show of love among themselves. “As sensitive and tactile creatures, elephants are very touchy-feely. They use ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴtᴀᴄt to communicate and bond with one another and you’ll often see them ‘chatting’ by purposefully touching each other, using their trunk, tusks, tail, and even their entire body.”