Kristin Davis is reunited with an abandoned elephant named Ndotto almost 10 years after she first met him.Photo:Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
WhenKristin Davisfirst met an orphaned elephant named Ndotto atSheldrick WildlifeTrust’s Nairobi Nursery in Kenya in November 2014, he was only three months old and required round-the-clock care.
Almost ten years later, on Feb. 6, theAnd Just Like That…star, 58, returned to the Trust in Kenya to reconnect with Ndotto, whom she had been fostering through donations since he was abandoned as a newborn.
Now beginning his transition to living in the wild,Ndottois among more than 320 orphaned elephants that the Trust’s Orphans' Project has successfully rescued.
Kristin Davis with then three-month-old Ndotto and another orphaned elephant in 2014.Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Born premature, Ndotto was found with a fresh umbilical cord among the sheep and goats of a surprised Samburu tribesman. Unable to be reunited with his herd, Ndotto was brought to the Trust’s Nairobi Nursery, where a dedicated team of keepers nurtured him day and night, even sleeping in his stable to provide comfort and milk. Davis began fostering Ndotto the day she met him and has continued to follow his journey through the SWT Orphans' Project monthly updates.
At age 3, Ndotto graduated to the Trust’s Voi Reintegration Unit, where the rescued elephants stay with their keepers during the day and return to the safety of their stockades in the evening. As they grow older and more independent, they are weaned off milk and spend more time away from their keepers.
Kristin Davis and Ndotto in 2014.Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The reintegration process can take up to a decade and happens at an elephant’s chosen pace until they are re-wilded into Tsavo East National Park, Kenya’s largest national park and a fully protected habitat known for its thriving elephant populations.
With a $50 annual donation, you can foster an orphaned elephant like Ndotto in the Trust’s care. If you are interested in helping, donate to the Trusthere.
source: people.com
